Relocating from a two-bedroom Victorian home on the outskirts of London to a Welsh village on the banks of the river Dee, gave Bethan, her late husband Iain and their daughter, Seren, the prospect to embrace rural life. “We selected a location we beloved after which discovered work close by,” says Bethan.
Following a weekend break spent viewing properties, the couple purchased a conventional rendered stone cottage courting again to the 1850s, in just below three acres of backyard and woodland, and had been excited by the prospect of rising their very own fruit and greens on the land whereas having fun with the peace that such an idyllic setting provided. “The cottage was good, notably as Iain loved mountain biking,” provides Bethan.
Though the couple immediately beloved the placement and attraction of the unique property, they knew that longterm a full cottage renovation and extension can be required to profit from the plot and people all-important views.
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The entrance of the unique stone cottage exudes loads of attraction
Framing the countryside views
“Essentially the most irritating factor about our cottage after we moved in was the place of the tiny home windows, which had been in all of the unsuitable locations and didn’t profit from the fantastic nation views over the valley,” explains Bethan. “Inside, it was darkish with low ceilings, and we couldn’t wait to open up the rooms and benefit from the outlook.
“The L-shaped cottage wanted work, however we lived there for a few years first to get a really feel for the place. Initially, we’d deliberate so as to add yet one more bed room in the same type to the present constructing, however then our designer got here up with a superb up to date idea for a double-storey extension that would supply us with wonderful views, which utterly blew us away and altered every little thing.”
Navigating the challenges of the positioning
Craig Marston of Ke-design navigated steep and winding roads to go to the positioning, the place the cottage and backyard to the west stand on a stage shelf lower into the hillside. Panoramic nation views to the north, over the valley, weren’t seen from the cottage, and the awkward format meant the kitchen was tucked away to the rear in a moist and chilly single-storey extension, the place the window confronted instantly onto a retaining wall, with no utility room or storage.
“As a result of nature of the plot, with the retaining wall and hillside behind, there have been restricted choices for learn how to construct an extension on this sloping web site,” Craig explains. “Splaying the brand new extension at an angle solved this downside, giving the household an ethereal kitchen diner design, with the principle bed room, en suite and dressing room above all dealing with west and overlooking the valley.”
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Convincing the planners
Small home windows and low ceilings within the unique cottage can be balanced by an oblong, extremely glazed extension thought with increased ceilings – positioned to benefit from the western night solar. In addition to sustaining the size of the present constructing, the brand new construction was to be constructed from matching supplies, with a pitched slate roof and white home rendering.
“As a part of the renovation and extension, Craig recommended transferring the steep stairs within the cottage to create a function, with the brand new staircase design turning into the hyperlink to the brand new extension. There would even be a touchdown to benefit from the view,” says Bethan. “It hadn’t even occurred to us earlier than! Ducking beneath the winding previous staircase to succeed in our lounge was a tough manoeuvre, and we saved banging our heads on the low newel submit, so the concept actually appealed to us.”
Nonetheless, on submission to the planning division, the planning permission utility was refused. “Following that, in some way I managed to persuade the planning officer to return out on web site and focus on what might be supported,” recollects designer Craig. “He instantly banged his head on the low stairs, which helped persuade him to again the proposal and to remark that it might be much more up to date.”
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The brand new staircase hyperlinks the previous and new elements of the home
Renovation and extension work will get underway
The roof, home windows, heating and plumbing within the cottage had been all in comparatively good situation and the household remained dwelling on web site whereas renovating, transferring from room to room as wanted.
The builder accomplished the groundwork, excavating into strong rock to put the concrete strip foundations, then the extension was constructed from structural insulated panels (SIPs), with the construction accomplished in simply over every week.
“We would have liked a fireproofing layer for the SIPs, partly resulting from our distant location, and the native hearth station needed to ship out firefighters to examine the panels,” says Bethan.
Exterior partitions had been rendered white to match the cottage, with pure slate for the roof and anthracite gray uPVC home windows and doorways. These had been provided by an area firm, who took nice care with the measurements – utilizing the SIPs plan to double-check sizes.
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Siting the kitchen within the new extension has created a light-filled house
Having fun with the views from the brand new extension
“We had been nervous whereas the glass was being put in, however every little thing fitted fantastically,” says Bethan, who undertook all of the adorning with Iain, selecting white paint all over the place for ease, and including vibrant accents with vivid tiles and furnishings.
With the work accomplished in 11 months, Bethan says it wasn’t lengthy earlier than she was having fun with the advantages: “We notably love the glazed kitchen extension house in the summertime – with the bifold doorways open and the solar beaming in, it’s the right place to benefit from the views.”
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The primary ground of the extension is residence to the principle bed room
Cottage extensions can typically be difficult to navigate as you attempt to work out the easiest way to marry previous and new, however as Bethan’s mission demonstrates it could ship spectacular outcomes when carried out effectively.
Contrasting the standard cottage with a extra trendy extension design might be notably efficient, highlighting the variations between the unique a part of the constructing and any new additions.