The two storey central element then
has two single storey out riggers either
side, housing three generous guest
bedrooms and a snug living room off
to the left of the kitchen/dining on the
ground floor, which also opens out onto
the patio beyond. The compromise, was to insert a
modest steel frame for the first floor
element with a number of glulam
beams over the larger openings. This
made it possible to use standard
140mm stud panels with a 9mm ply
inner skin.
As the primary feature of the house, the
master bedroom on the upper floor has
dressing rooms and ensuite bathrooms
within the roof spaces of the single
storey wings either side. The bedroom
itself is light and airy, full of light from
the full height glazing with in the end
gable. The walls floors and roof were all
highly insulated to give U values above
building regulations and technical
membranes installed internally
and externally to give maximum
air tightness. Services were housed
in a small plant room as part of the
house layout to a narrow centrally
located service riser connecting both
floors, housing the MVHR system and
underfloor heating manifold.
One can step through the glazed
screen onto a modest balcony, looking
out over the fields and being nestled
within the folds of the oversailing roof
the balcony is the protected from the
fiercest weather. It was the low lying
roof forms of the design that eventually
persuaded the planners, as it reduced
the overall visual impact compared to
the original design.
The use of timber framed construction
proved to be tricky to solve as the
clients required large spans, tall gables
and long open plan views out into the
garden and fields beyond.
9
The use of through coloured white
render at the ground floor served to
provide a crispness to the symmetrical
forms in contrast to the softer cedar
cladding above, left to silver naturally.
Again a riven grey slate with dark grey
aluminium soffits and facias brings
back the crispness to a contemporary
design.
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