CONTACTS/ SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT Leaf Architecture
leaf-architecture.co.uk
BUILDING MATERIALS MKM Building Supplies
mkm.com
CRITTALL-STYLE DOORS iSteel
www.isteel.co.uk
DOORS AND WINDOWS Aluhome
www.aluhomes.co.uk
FITTED FURNITURE Alexander Lewis
alexanderlewis.com
District Council is a very small council and has limited staff. The planning process was drawn-out.”
The client didn’t want “a traditional Uppingham stone house, and in any case it wouldn’t have fi tted, the of the site was industrial.” Richard grasped this immediately, proposing that the new building had to evoke “that sort of industrial barn style, but not a traditional barn conversion. It needed that industrial edge, dark stain cladding, corrugated, sheet metal materials, slate, and the lovely clay tiles that are also evident in the area.” However, this original vision faced
compromise when it came to achieving planning permission. “The councillors understood the modern design direction – rather more than the comments (on the planning application) from the public, some of whom didn’t get it,” Richard explains. “However, the local authority did challenge some aspects. I wanted to use a dark stained timber with the stone for the industrial edge, but they didn’t get that, they needed something more mellow. They demanded the timber cladding was a more natural oak colour. Everything else is a regular L-shaped two-storey building. It was never going to be a contemporary glass box.” lthough Covid prolonged the process by a few years, especially when the original tenders came in higher than expected, Richard now regards this element of the project as crucial to the success of the fi nished home. t helped us refl ect on the design a little bit further, and in a way that was a good thing. It meant we could test the design and the detailing and it became a truly viable project that was fi nished to everyone’s satisfaction. ll of that painful process, all that transpired, was a positive thing in the end.” Cleverly, Richard has managed to design a
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generously proportioned two-storey 300 sq m home with four double bedrooms, an open-plan living space with a vaulted ceiling for daytime activities and relaxation, plus a separate TV snug. There is also an ample utility area and boot room – a must-have request from the owners – plus an internal garage. With a mixture of slate and clay tiles, air-dried oak and ironstone and brick dental detailing, the materials palette took inspiration from the local vernacular. Black Crittall-style windows and doors add to the subtle yet characterful variety of warm textures and materials. The house is of traditional masonry cavity construction, using salvaged brick and local stone, but the unusual element perhaps is a block and beam concrete fi rst fl oor to provide a robust and sound-proofed fl oor construction. “Clients fall into two categories: they have
a strong idea, or a loose idea”, Richard says. “The latter is better because it allows me to use my skill set to the fullest. James had some basic ideas of the accommodation he needed. He wanted a family day space, a nice kitchen, four bedrooms and lots of support provision – so the utility, boot room and garage – and genuine high-quality detailing. This was a tight, snug site, so he knew he wasn’t going to get a large garden.” Internally, James, who is in his early sixties and married with two children, also wanted a contemporary look. This was achieved through neutral/soft white colour schemes which help to refl ect all the available natural light, smart Crittall-style internal doors to complement other glaing and natural hardwood fl oors. However, James did have strong external design detail ideas, which he inputted to his architect, including the distinctive projecting fi rst-fl oor dormer windows The windows to the bedrooms were always going to need detail, but these are actually a detail uite specifi c to
FLOOR BEAMS Floorspan UK www.fl
oorspan.co.uk
GARDEN DESIGN Second Nature Gardens
secondnaturegardens.co.uk
HARDWOOD AND CLADDING Sunningdale Timber
www.sunningdaletimber.co.uk
MAIN CONTRACTOR Sandhurst Construction Leicester www.
STEELWORK
Barkby Timber & Steel
barkbytimberandsteel.co.uk
STONE Stamford Stone
www.stamfordstone.co.uk
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