To boldly go!

It’s not often, in this quiet provincial land of ours up here in Cumbria, that you get the chance to create something different. ‘Radical’ around here is more often than not a bungalow with one of those modern en-suite thingies so to be commissioned to extend and revamp a drab 1970’s bungalow gave an exciting opportunity to do something different.

The boxy original layout of the bungalow has been re-designed to allow for an open plan family room with a mezzanine level at one end to provide a ‘quieter’ area that can also take advantage of the views of the Cumbrian Fells.

The overall layout has been kept simple and barn-like to keep construction simple and costs down. And if I’m allowed some architectural speak… the approach to the design was to produce something that took on the form of a converted barn but in a way that was unmistakably contemporary. Rather than it being a barn converted to house it is house that could be converted to a barn.



The construction is also a departure from what is usual to the area with the whole structure and cladding being in timber. The form of timber frame construction is one I have used before and I have chosen to use it again here to achieve a more energy efficient building and one that can be constructed much faster than a normal block and render building therefore reducing costs.

All we need now is a favourable view from the planners. I hope future posts about this job can be in a positive tone!