This new oak framed house is located on the outskirts of the popular market town of Bridport and on the way to West Bay. We were commissioned to design this new bespoke Oak framed house in early 2016. It was to replace a dated 1950’s bungalow that was uninsulated and had a layout that failed to connect the house to the garden or landscape views to the rear.

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The brief was to design a retreat for a couple to retire to. The idea was developed to embrace the west facing private aspect to the rear of the house so this was the obvious place for the living spaces to open onto and it was decided that this would be arranged over 2 floors.

The site had tight constraints due to the heights of the properties either side and the requirement for a raised floor level due to its location in a flood risk zone, so the envelope had to work hard to accommodate 3 bedrooms, a living space over two levels to the west as well as a study, utility, and lift. This all had to be done whilst keeping the eaves either side low enough to prevent overbearing onto the neighbouring properties.

A full oak frame with six cross trusses frames the internal spaces and adds warmth to every room. The house is clad in larch and natural Purbeck stone, robust and traditional materials put together in a contemporary way. Although very different to other houses on the road, the scale, form, and material palette has allowed the house to sit very comfortably on the site.

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The highly insulated timber frame wall panels ensure extremely low energy requirements for the house. An air source heat pump and solar PV panels on the south facing slope of the roof generate renewable energy for the house.

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Now complete the house has given the clients the space, light, and comfort that they set out to achieve and despite its generous size has a modest, understated presence that seems appropriate to the residential street that it sits on.