The Brief - to sympathetically restore, reconfigure and extend in oak frame a dilapidated 19th Century traditional Cornish property.  The original granite house was dilapidated and a mere ruin with only the front and side walls being structurally sound.  The brief for the proposed scheme was to blend contemporary design with the traditional features of the cottage to form a four bedroom oak frame eco house with open plan living that was light and airy, yet warm and cosy.

 

The Design – to meet the brief, the existing rear addition was demolished and a new L-shaped extension added.  The existing lean-to with catslide roof was also demolished and rebuilt but retained the original design.  The new roof was covered with natural slate and the walls clad at high level in reclaimed natural Cornish slate.  To the rear the gable end was framed in oak, complemented with an oak balcony that enjoys the rear views over open countryside.  The main house was re-roofed supported by two structural oak trusses internally and the external walls repointed in lime. 

 

Internally the property is a combination of modern and traditional styles and services requiring full building restoration.  The house has been designed as reverse living/sleeping with the bedrooms at ground level which allows the main living area to enjoy the views at first floor level.  The kitchen and dining area enjoys a high vaulted ceiling with stunning exposed oak trusses.  The property is highly insulated and constructed using natural materials.  Internally natural paints were used on the lime pointed exposed stone walls to allow the building to breathe and prevent internal damp.   Being off-mains, the house is heated by a combination of solar panels and a woodburner, the fuel being sustainably supplied by the adjoining woodland. The garden area was designed using ‘permaculture’ as its main influence, with herb, vegetable and fruit garden prominent.

 

Build Route – Self Managed

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Completion – On Site