This beautiful home in Burley in the New Forest has been lovingly looked after and decorated by its owners, the only thing was, since they had moved in, the ground floor had been problematic. The utility room was the first room that you would see into as you walked in the house. It was located in prime position, right in the middle, blocking all the views and connection to the garden from the kitchen/dining rooms. There were a series of small extensions that had been added to the rear of the house and garage by the previous owners and they were of very poor construction, making them damp, cold and unusable.
There is an existing 2 storey piece on the rear of the house, that is likely an extension which is almost as old as the original, but it looked jarring with it’s flat roof, so the other part of the brief was to give the rear of the house a facelift and allow the old to sit with the new.
Our job was to create a new family ‘hub’ – the kitchen/dining and living space, that connected with the garden, whilst also relocating the utility room and downstairs WC. This home is in the New Forest National Park which has a 30% rule (see our blog https://vl-architects.co.uk/news/the-new-forest-national-park-authority-the-30-rule/) There was a bit of re-organisation of the spaces to make sure that we were within the 30% limit, and now – look at the gorgeous family space!
The design process meant that the family could see options for their new layout and for material options for the rear of the house. They realised that they didn’t have to extend the property much at all to give them the space they need, and they loved the options to make the old, rear extensions into one, more modern piece, which works well with the original house.
My favourite parts of the finished project? The awesome view of the garden as soon as you walk in the front door, the hidden utility and… The Bar! I love that our clients incorporated this into the run of units. What a perfect place they have now for entertaining!
Photography by Steve at Zooming Photography
