Beautiful long grey bricks clad the double-story extension to this property near the Chilterns in Seer Green. The extension forms a new volume externally while merging old and new spaces internally.
Approaching Long Brick House, you would not have the slightest idea that behind a standard door lies a home that beams with natural sunlight and clever design ideas. The existing dis-jointed house had endured multiple conversions, over time it had become a house full of small spaces and no cohesion. It lacked a key focus, a place where a family could spend time together. The house seemed to almost reject the beautiful garden. The easy solution was to knock down the house and rebuild it. The smart solution was to transform.
Our aim was to make sure the house addressed its local environment whilst achieving something very different and unique. The solution is a two-story box that sits on the back of the existing building with a 'canyon of light' separating old from new.
What was the brief?
The brief was to provide more bedrooms to the existing property and to create open-plan living spaces suitable for family life.
What were the key challenges?
The existing property was disjointed. It had been transformed many times over the years, resulting in a large property that had no cohesion, a lcak of daylight and very small circulation areas. The challenge was to transform the property to what was a reatively small budget.
What were the solutions?
The solution was to keep as much of the existing property as possible and build a simple and separate structure to create the new spaces. This kept the cost of construction relatively low and created a very strong concept to guie the design and the choice of materials.
Key products used:
Longbricks - Wienerberger
Bespoke glazing and sliding doors - Maxlight
Upstairs windows - Velfac
Roof Windows - Glazing Vision
Flooring - Havwoods
Paint - Dulux
Kitchen Carcasses - DIY Kitchens
Kitchen Doors - Coloured MDF by Porta
Worktop - In Opera (Terrazzo)
Tap - Vola
Thermostats - Nest
Socket plates - Schneider
Bathroom sinks + taps - Lusso Stone
What do the architects have to say?
"We knew that the layout was dysfunctional. The house just didn't work and our job was to open everything up and create a warm inviting space to live." Ewald Van Der Straeten
"to simplify the solution we created a two-story box to sit on the back of the building that is clearly separated by a canyon of light, that brings natural light right into the heart of the building" George Bradley
Why is it called Longbrick House?
The Roman long bricks which have been used throughout the build provide contrast to the old building but still appease its local surroundings. To be able to use the bricks outside and inside the building gave us the ability to clearly define the new build with four distinct pillars. These pillars, while being aesthetically pleasing give you orientating point while moving through the building.
What design ideas did you use to design for storage?
Clever storage space can be found throughout the house. By simply moving the kitchen forward from the side wall we created a space for a walk-in larder and a utilities room. Using hidden doors, the kitchen feels bigger than before but using less space. The client and their family where a sporting bunch, so having room for all the equipment was important to them. Using the space under the walkway on the first floor we were able to build in huge amounts of storage to house all their requirements. Moving upstairs, there are subtle changes which have allowed for more bathrooms and cupboard space (Can be seen on before and after plans) throughout all the rooms.
