Making more from what you have
Extensions and renovations
In West Dorset, a lot of houses are small to medium sized cottages, so a lot of our clients need just that bit extra space, or to reconfigure the space they have. We will work through the options with you, considering the constraints and opportunities of your site and project in detail.
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We often are extending buildings with sensitive contexts, or in very tight sites, so are experienced in all the planning and building control considerations that we need to have in mind from the outset.
Due to the house’s remote location, a lot of its current services are provided by off-grid systems, which are to be upgraded and modernised as part of the works. A new package treatment plant is going in, with MVHR being added and electric heating from an air source heat pump to replace the old oil-fired boiler. A large solar panel array is going to be added onto the roof so that the house will harvest its own energy to power this technology.
The rainwater harvesting system is to be upgraded to supply the fresh water.
​Sea Fret - Currently on site Dec 2024
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​This large hipped roof bungalow that sits proudly on the Coast Road between Burton and Abbotsbury, with its lantern observation room was in need of complete remodelling. Over the years the addition of conservatory and various other extensions at the back has made the ground floor plan quite deep, so the majority of main living rooms are much darker and inward-looking by contrast, and were in need of complete reimagining.
We are replacing the rear and side extensions to be able to make clearly legible spaces that flow and connect and to allocate the right rooms to light or dark uses. In the lighter areas with access onto the garden there will be a kitchen with skylight and vaulted ceiling, dining room with glazed doors, and new window into the hallway opposite the entrance, so these areas will become bright and outward looking. Meanwhile the centre of the house is to become a library, making use of the darker area for an inward-looking room that will be lit carefully with lamps and a place for quiet study.
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Orchard House - Completed in November 2023
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Orchard House is a 1930s house in the village of Burton Bradstock, on a site that spans a historic mill lane and a wider lane out to the open countryside.
The clients came to us to design an infill extension to provide much needed utility and bathroom space for the main house, and to replace the existing conservatory with a beautiful garden room that would connect them to the outside and floor their kitchen with light.
The clients wanted a bright and uplifting space for family gatherings and relaxing in.
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Crittal style windows and a complete glzed gable achieved what they were looking for successfully.
Underfloor heating in the extension and upgrading of the house all round ensured consistent and comfortable temperatures and better performance of the finished house.
West Mead
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This Oak framed extension in Bridport was built for our clients in 2017 by a skilled team of local builders and carpenters.
The clients wanted to replace the conservatory and create a space that connected kitchen and dining areas at ground floor to the garden at the rear and also provided a new bedroom above.
By opening up the entrance hall we made the house feel larger, lighter and more welcoming when you enter. In the old darker kitchen area to the front of the house we could then fit a boot room, WC and larder.
Now complete this extension has transformed the previously snug cottage into something much more special and provided valuable extra family space connected to the garden.
