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.
The Solution
Construct a new single storey rear extension spacious enough to accommodate a kitchen, dining and sitting spaces. Repurpose the old kitchen as a utility room, and WC with shower.
Design
he extension was constructed using a timber frame and clad in vertical timber battens. The large floor to ceiling sliding doors have slim aluminium frames. A new area of hard landscaping was created to bridge the gap between house and garden.
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.