IT TOOK DAYS OF RESEARCH AND
INDECISIONS BEFORE FRAN AND SIMON SETTLED FOR A MODERN GLASS AND OAK STAIRCASE IN THE TWO-STOREY ENTRANCE HALL
They were already long-standing friends with
York-based builder Paul Anderson who had been involved with the planning application from day one. He started virtually straight away and by Christmas the foundations – comprising solid concrete under the main part of the house and elevated block and beam under the single storey extension – were laid. “The land is a mixture of clay and chalk,”
says Fran. “It had been a dry autumn so there was no problem with drainage and the footings were very straight forward. The only challenge was in raising the floor level of the extension to create a seamless link into the main house. The extension is built on a slope but we didn’t want a step inside, so the extension had to be raised instead.” Although Fran and Simon wanted the house
to be oak framed with plenty of glazing, they were also keen to respect local build styles and materials. With this in mind they agreed to com- bine hand-made, old style Brantingham Blend bricks with a Penrhyn Welsh slate roof, adding timber framed extensions front and back. The brick structure was built first while the timber frame section was created off-site by Yorkshire Oak Frames. The company’s precise engineering, coupled with Paul Anderson’s perfectionism, resulted in a perfect fit between the two structures. This perfectionism also paid off in the detail of the build. Fran and Simon were keen to introduce subtle
but significant architectural details into the exterior, such as a plinth stone around the house. This rim stands proud of the main wall and required an additional two-inch concrete support plinth to be built behind it, around the entire property, to provide support for the main wall above. The hand made windows are all set back into
the openings to create a shadow line around each one, and Fran wanted a substantial over- hang on the roof-line to avoid a ‘flat’ finish to the exterior. “We had renovated properties before and
knew we wanted to use reclaimed materials, or materials that looked ready-aged,” says Fran. “We had always liked the natural style of oak frames, but didn’t want the entire house to be built of wood because we felt it would be too overpowering, so we chose just a central sec- tion to give the house character.” Fran and Simon were also keen to source
everything locally where possible, so the main structural elements were provided by local companies. “A lot of the house evolved as we went
along,” says Simon. “We changed our minds along the way but both Paul and Adam, from the timber frame company, were very easy to work with and always adaptable. As a result the design of the house and the details within it evolved as the build progressed.”
The house had already changed beyond
recognition from the first application. Their initial plans showed a barn-style house, which Fran and Simon thought would ‘suit the planners’, but when that was rejected they decided to ask for exactly what they wanted rather than compro- mise. Even though the design continued to change in subtle ways during the build, both Fran and Simon were acutely aware that they had to get everything right first time. “You are actually under a lot of pressure to
make the right decisions all the way through the build,” says Fran. “If a socket is in the wrong place, it will bug you; if a room isn’t the right size you will always wish you had designed it differently, so there is an underlying pressure to get it perfect from the word go. If you make a mistake you have to live with it – and so does the next generation. Our sons may well take over the business at some point and want to live here, in which case it will affect them too.” One of the biggest dilemmas they faced was the choice of roof finish. They honed down their
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www.sbhonline.co.uk 25
HIGH POINT
When the oak frame went up. It had all been made off-site and then assembled like meccano. It fits
absolutely perfectly thanks to a great team effort between the builder and the oak frame company. The glass also went in without a hitch. It took longer than expected, but the glaziers were nothing short of craftsmen. It was fantastic to see it all pull together
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