Thornford
Homelea is a mid 19th century detached house occupying a prominent position in the Thornford Conservation Area.
The room sizes are typically cottage, so small by today’s standard. The kitchen was particularly meagre, and had to accommodate the dining table as well as cooking and preparation spaces.
The house is home to a family of five, and whilst it was perfect for small children, it was not going to remain that way for long.
Client Brief
The phrase ‘fit a quart into a pint pot’ was how the brief could have been worded, with the kitchen the pint pot and family as the quart - and a bit. More cooking and dining space were the two key requirements, with room for a sofa and a comfy chair or two if budget allowed.
Design
An existing stone outbuilding to the rear of the house formed a boundary between Homelea and its neighbour to the west. Incorporating it into the scheme was not an option, not least because it sat over an old, and very deep well, but retaining and reusing the stone offered an opportunity to reference what had gone before.
The salvaged stone was used to clad the west elevation up to the height of the old stone outbuilding, with vertical timber cladding making up the remaining. The stone work continued south beyond the extension in a recreation of the boundary.
The design was kept as simple as possible, partly dictated by budget, but also by restrictions on what could be achieved in the conservation area. The weather would soften the orangey hue of the timber cladding to a silvery grey similar to that of the stone. The floor to ceiling sliding doors, with their black, slimline frames, continue the colour theme, and make the most of the view of the garden and beyond to the hills.
Where do you start?
If reorganising spaces can’t provide a solution, then adapting existing spaces is the next area to investigate.
An existing stone outbuilding to the rear of the house formed a boundary between Homelea and its neighbour to the west. Most likely as old as the house, and rather quaint, but spoilt by the lean to extension added by a previous owner and now very rickety. Despite the urge to convert the outbuilding, the practical aspects of adapting it were beyond economic viability. There were too many hurdles, not least because it sat over an old, and very deep well. The next best solution was to demolish the outbuilding but retain as much material as possible for reuse. A sustainable solution, but also an aesthetic one, allowing us to reference what had gone before.
The salvaged stone was used to clad the west elevation up to the height of the old stone outbuilding, with vertical timber cladding making up the remaining. The stone work continued south b ey ond the extension in a recreation of the boundary.