Set in a lovely parkland garden on a site of approximately 1.2 acres, located half a mile outside the village of Ash, the existing 4 bed cottage, was a mishmash of different periods. The original cottage is estimated to date back to the 18th century; possibly a couple of worker’s cottages. The cottage had been extended throughout the 20th century, a 2 storey addition to the front early in the century and additions to the sides in the 1960’s. This together with the previous owner’s neglect of the property, had left the house in much need of upgrading. What was striking was, the previous cottage did not have any relationship to the beautiful gardens that surround it, with no patio and nowhere to enjoy outdoor living.
To modernise and bring this house together, the design would utilise the existing layout where possible, other than moving the kitchen to the heart of the home and the oldest part of the house. The new kitchen location now enjoys an 18th century inglenook fireplace and the original oak beams. A double height extension was conceived, which would allow the kitchen to open up and extend into the new living accommodation for a modern open plan kitchen, living and dining area. The new living space in contrast to the original cottage, enjoys a high ceiling and 2 sets of bi-fold doors that allow full views of the tree lined garden and the farmland beyond.
Unlike the existing property, there is now a beautiful, sunny spill-out space for the family to enjoy and entertain in. The extension has a relatively simple structure to complement the original worker’s cottages and is extremely low maintenance. It was decided that cedar cladding would be used and left to silver over time. To tie the rest of the cottage to the new extension, reclaimed Kent Peg tiles were used on the extension roof and the dormer cheeks on the original cottage were replaced with cedar. The mishmash of styles and brick types was harmonised by covering with a through coloured render, that would require no maintenance. The client was keen to keep the property traditional in appearance, yet inject some personality such as the duck-egg blue windows, to make it stand out. The flat and tired front elevation was given texture and depth, with the introduction of hung tiles at first floor level and the green oak porch was hand crafted to further enhance the layering and form. This property is now a surprisingly large and balanced- 5-bedroom family home. It is quirky, traditional and contemporary all at once.
