panels around the bedroom wing glass doors were screwed in place, with a 10mm recessed gap between each sheet and a black liner behind creating a rebate. Screws were left visible for an industrial look.
Aluminium-framed glazing in a mid-grey colour complements the Spanish slate roof tiles and grey walling fl ints. “We chose to have integrated Venetian blinds as a neater option which won’t gather dust,” says Glen. “Unfortunately, the little solar panel units don’t charge the batteries that effi ciently, so we sometimes need to charge these separately, but the concept still works well.” The house is nestled into the northwest
corner of the generous gardens, resulting in morning sun entering into the corridor linking the bedrooms and a south facing living room. “We wanted to make sure the house benefi tted from solar gain in the winter to help keep it warm and add light into the vaulted ceilings,” notes Sophie. “As part of the landscaping design, we looked at including a covered walkway over the ramped entrance path to provide shading and privacy, and a brise soleil to shade the main living area in summer.” Bringing natural light into the house from
different angles was key, and Sophie designed both wings of the building with garden-facing glazed doors, incorporating high level triangular windows in the gable end of the vaulted living room to let in the afternoon sun. The ceiling is lower to the dining area within the open plan space. “I wanted to defi ne the open plan dining space, and this area has been extended out with a fl at roof to form a large bay,” says Sophie, who was also commissioned to design the lighting scheme both inside and outside the house, with the family then choosing the fi ttings.
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Jane, who is now retired after running her own graphic design business, was keen to install full height internal doors, and a company was found to custom make these in oak. “We created shadow gaps around the doors and skirtings, so that they’re fl ush,” says Glen. “It was quite complicated, and everything needed to be extremely accurate before the plasterers could begin work.” Engineered oak fl ooring was laid over
underfl oor heating in the open plan kitchen, and Sophie designed the cabinet layout for Glen to install, while Jane and her mother worked together to choose colours and other fi nishes. The underfl oor heating is zoned, so that every room in the annexe can be controlled independently for comfort and energy effi ciency. Futureproofi ng for Jane’s parents, Pat and Rose, involved creating enough circulation space to accommodate a wheelchair user, and installing a separate WC near the main entrance. Their parking area in front of the barn is connected to the annexe by a path suitable for wheelchairs, which was designed to be covered by an overhang supported on columns to provide shelter to the entrance, shading to the corridor, and for planting to grow on. Sadly, Pat died just one year after the couple moved into the annexe, but Rose still enjoys living there in close proximity to her family. “We thoroughly enjoyed the build, despite some muddy weather during the winter months,”says Glen. “We’re tremendously pleased with the
result, and the fi nished building is really special, thanks to Sophie’s design. It’s also far more energy effi cient than our own home – light, warm and contemporary – but if it gets cold in our old house then we can always head down to the annexe to warm up!”
GLEN’S TOP TIP
Consider your material choices in all weathers, as our pale patio tiling gets dirty and is more high maintenance than we’d imagined
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