This project was a demolition and new build that replaced a dilapidated 70’s style chalet. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, our focus had to be on openness surrounding the property. The house was meticulously nestled amongst the existing trees so as to avoid felling any of the mature or healthy trees. The low roofline and minimal hard landscaping further add to the nature oriented, low impact approach.
This home is one of the more modest homes on the street in which it is situated, in square footage and visually. We considered the Georgian style home which is popular in the area, but felt it could be imposing. We went for a softer but more complicated design with low dormers and vaulted ceilings throughout which in our opinion, reduced the visual impact.
The theme of openness flows through to the interior of the house in which we focused on large comfortable areas with less rooms. You will see that the master suite encompasses most of the first floor with a bed in the centre of the room, directed at views of nature. A love of wildlife was deep rooted in this scheme with the garden room being a good example of this. The space was kept open to create a vantage point from which to sit and watch the deer graze in the un- manicured, wild garden.
Our low impact mantra extends to sustainability, efficiency and healthy living. The home’s heating and hot water is supplied courtesy of two 9kw air source heat pumps. The energy produced is well retained thanks to the highly insulated prefabricated glu-lam timber frame super structure with a U-value of 0.13 W/m2k and a very impressive air tightness of 0.8 m3/hm2 @ 50 Pa. The house also boasts an air tight (dedicated internal air feed) wood burning fire which is fueled from the land management, and a lovingly up-cycled 20 year old hand made kitchen taken from a local house that was to be demolished.
The core of the project was constructed using modern methods of construction and sustainably sourced materials but the exterior was cultivated using a mix of traditional and local materials, details, methods and trades; from the herringbone and Flemish bond hand made Bovingdon bricks and scalloped lead work with sand faced hand made tiles, to the sprockets, tiled under cloaks and open eaves.