floors with concrete downstairs. e realised that these costs made renovating far more expensive than building from scratch,” says Jim, “but we plan for this to be our last home and wanted to get every detail right – making it as maintenance free as possible.” New walls for the extensions were constructed using dot and dab plasterboard internally on blockwork, with 100 mm of insulation and either stonework or rendered blockwork externally. “We spent two days driving around the area taking pictures of different render colours for inspiration,” says Jim.
A specialist stonemason was employed who
was already known to the family, and the walling was laid with the stratum parallel to the ground, creating narrow horizontal bands of 200 mm deep stone. This was mixed with limestone, to add both strength and visual interest, and very little mortar was used – creating the appearance of dry-stone walling. The entire structure has been thoroughly insulated using various methods, including 100 mm of external insulation to the front facade, which avoided reducing room sizes. “Where we installed the lift, the passageway could have been quite tight if we’d lost any more space, so it made sense to insulate outside rather than in,” says Jim.
The main roof was in relatively good condition, and any new pitched elements above extensions were finished in reclaimed tiles sourced to match the originals. A mm thick u roofing membrane was chosen for the rear flat roof which gives the appearance of lead when viewed from windows above.
46
www.sbhonline.co.uk
Every detail was carefully considered, including setting windows into deep reveals to create a pleasing aesthetic. The crittall-style glazing has aluminium frames, and cost £88,000, but is a main feature of the design and proved far less expensive than quotes for steel. “We could have economised but were keen that the windows should have authentic detailing,” says Jayne. “This meant that we didn’t want trickle vents, and instead needed to install a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system to meet Building Regulations for ventilation. It works incredibly well and is really efficient. Instead of retaining the existing boiler and extending the heating system with radiators, the couple decided to install twin air source heat pumps and took up the floors to lay underfloor heating. “We spent far more than we’d originally planned because we chose high uality finishes which would last,” says Jim. “In hindsight, it would have cost around £150,000 less to just knock down the house and start again, as we needed to pay VAT on a remodel.” The couple were closely involved throughout
the project, with Jim positioning some of the intermediate steels, using his training as an engineer to ensure levels were precise. The large kitchen island has a dropped ceiling above it which houses an extractor unit, and he marked this out and completed part of installation, in addition to building false walls in bathrooms to contain niches complete with concealed lighting.
The newly built grand entrance atrium boasts nov/dec 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
