New Beginnings: Appointing an Architect When Moving Home

By Dave Ashton

We are often approached by individuals who are in the process of moving home and are seeking to make improvements to their new property. This can make sense for a number of reasons - it may be that the house is a 'fixer-upper' in urgent need of modernisation, it might that it's be easier to get the building work done before moving in, or it may simply be that the individual is excited to make their mark and make it feel like home.

This makes particular sense with retrofit, where the work to the existing house can be extensive (such as when installing internal wall insulation) and only really feasible when the house is vacant. One such project we are working on at present is Old Sneed Park.

The initial appraisal was that the existing building would not be able to meet the brief, and therefore a knock-down and rebuild would be required. However as the project progressed, it became clear that a retrofit-and-extend approach may in fact provide a better solution. First, there was an instinctive logic in preserving existing materials where possible – not just in terms of cost savings, but also reducing environmental impact, and preserving some of the history of the place. This made the scheme hugely more palatable to the local residents and improved its chances of getting planning permission.

This approach ended up making the project more interesting than stating with a 'blank slate', and didn't mean that the proposed design has to be compromised.

A large extension to the rear and side significantly increased the total floor area. A section of the existing ground floor slab is to be cut out to create a double-height space connecting the entrance lobby with the extension at lower ground floor level. The roof of the extension is to be a roof garden, blurring the boundary between house and garden.

Externally, the building is to keep its proportions and pitched roof, but modernised with new brick cladding and tiled roofing. Other materials will include copper details, and intensively planted green roof.

The thermal performance is going to be drastically improved to near-EnerPHit levels meaning the new home will be be as comfortable to live in as a new-build. Enlarged triple glazed windows will make the most of views to of the back garden and nature reserve beyond. These are west-facing so include external solar shading to prevent overheating from the afternoon/evening sun. A large PV array will help to power an Air Source Heat Pump. As well as providing heating in winter, this ASHP system can be reversed to cool the building during heatwaves.

If you are moving home and are considering making some improvements, feel free to get in touch, we'd be happy to discuss and help if required.