The colour of the cladding ensures that the house sits in its landscape rather than on it
kitchen complements the open plan kitchen/ dining/living space perfectly and with the major appliances hidden in the cellars, the kitchen furniture remains sleek and streamlined and doesn’t overshadow the living space. A new utility/boot room also keeps the clutter to a minimum and was supposed to be the dogs’ bedroom as well. “It’s a great addition and ideal for towelling down the dogs after a walk,” says Robert. “But unsurprisingly, the dogs never sleep there when there’s a sofa to be had.” What has been achieved is impressive especially as in real terms there’s very little change to the actual footprint of the building. “We’ve gained a view,” says Isla. “Previously, you had to stand at a window in the cottage to appreciate the view now we’re in the view. However, we haven’t really impacted on the garden as the extension is almost the original footprint of the decking. And, even when you walk past the front of the house you don’t really see the extension – it doesn’t overshadow the original house.”
Robert continues: “I think because we
were keeping the old building, we wanted the new part to tie in with it and most importantly not to distract from what was outside. Right from the start of the design process it was all about keeping it as close to nature as we could. One of the things that was so impressive about Fermín and the builders was that Fermín had a very solid idea of how it would look.” To ensure the new extension complemented
the woodland around it and blended into its rural habitat, Fermín thoroughly researched how the project would appear from every angle, spending time in the woodland and fi elds across from the original cottage and he decided the choice of cladding and its application was a key element. “You can see the cladding is erected in
different elevations which we didn’t realise until it started to go up,” Robert explains. “It was a lot of work for the builders. They took all the cladding and spread it out in the garden to ensure there were no joins on the sides that would be seen – that attention to detail was impressive.”
The colour of the cladding also ensures that the house sits in its landscape rather than on it and while the extension can be seen from the rear of the property, at the front of the house, the external appearance is still of an original gate house which the couple are delighted about. There are still some tasks to be completed, and Robert and Isla have many plans for the garden as Isla explains: “Our nature-friendly garden has run out of steam a bit because it’s been a long haul and we’re a bit tired, but this year we’ll start anew again.” Tiredness aside, the Leggetts are now focussing on enjoying their new home as Robert affi rms “We’ve realised the dream. Whenever I’ve been away from the house for a few days and I come home, I realise how privileged I am to live here.” The gamble paid off.
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