The Glass House
Client: private residential
Contract value: £ 245,000
Gross internal floor area: 98 m2
Location: Hertfordshire
Contractors: Ratcliff & Burridge
The Glass House
Client: private residential
Contract value: £ 245,000
Gross internal floor area: 98 m2
Location: Hertfordshire
Contractors: Ratcliff & Burridge
Grange Park II / Bishops Stortford
Reinvention Extension and Make-over
The project looks at how to significantly extend the existing 1960s house on both ground and first floor and to make what was a visually unremarkable house into an attractive villa dwelling with a strong image and identity. The house is for 2 adults 2 children and guests. Two first floor extensions are proposed. One extrudes the gable end to provide a new bedroom and bathroom, the other adds a new bedroom pod to the rear of the building and incorporates this new space with the smaller of the existing bedrooms to provide a suite of rooms as the adults domain. The double garage becomes a new drawing room with free flowing access to the exiting ground floor areas via a generous entrance hall and new cloaks area.
All existing materials to the exterior front elevation are proposed to be changed. New brick used for the gable end extension is wrapped around to the front facade, a new flat roof with aluminium fascia and timber screen details and replacement windows complete the transformation. The first floor banding window treatment and the uninterrupted brick face to the new first floor intentionally break with the common arrangements of these elements.
The project received full planning permission where previous applications had been rejected.
Our concept designs explored how a new bedroom pod could be attached to the back of the house and be joined/knocked through with the exiting main bedroom to form an elongated bed/bath/dressing area. (see sketches opposite)
The shower/wc are concealed at the end of the long run of wardrobes. The sleeping space has a vaulted ceiling with a full height glazed gable end looking to the garden. The design has a sense of openness and size due to the interconnected spaces. Natural light from both ends would provide variation and contrast, a slot window above the double sinks would provide glimpses out but maintain privacy.
Before and After.
The final built works excluded the gable end first floor extension and additional bedrooms were provided in the roof space. The garage conversion and size changes/replacement windows to the front made a significant dfiference to the image and identity of the house.
