Village Idyll
Taking advantage of a prime plot in their local area, architect Richard Anderson and his wife Helen chose to replace a 1950s bungalow with a traditional-style self-build, perfectly suited to family life
A dated bungalow makes way for a stunning traditional-style home with modern interiors
It’s not often that the Homebuilding & Renovating team are caught by surprise, having seen all manner of houses over the years. Pulling up the gravel driveway of Richard and Helen Anderson’s self-build, the understated entrance suggested a small, traditional village-style home. On stepping through the front door, however, a series of varied ceiling heights, wide open plan spaces and through-views which lead the eye right down the house and out to the garden, revealed its generous and modern nature. The couple came across the plot, which was formerly the site of a dated bungalow, in Dorchester-on-thames, by happy coincidence. “We were involved in a project regarding the orchard in front of the 1950s bungalow,” begins architect and homeowner Richard. “The owner of the orchard wanted to gain planning consent to build a house. There was a covenant on the land, however, and this needed to be resolved with the lady living in the bungalow at the time, so we worked with her to have the covenant removed. Once she decided to sell in early 2010, her estate agent mentioned that I’d expressed interest in the house. The bungalow had no real value, and was orientated to face the road, but the plot itself ticked all the boxes, and I could see the potential to replace the building with a new family home.” Having lived on the other side of the village for 25 years, the Andersons knew the area well and, thanks to Richard’s career as an architect, they were also familiar with the local planning department and local policies. “We knew what would be acceptable and what wouldn’t be allowed,” he explains. “While we got planning consent at the end of 2010, we chose not to implement it until just before it was about to expire as we straight “Once weren’t away. work in a got position underway to start in 2013, the project however, we realised that the ground conditions were quite poor and we would need to pile the foundations and build a reinforced concrete slab. At the time, my practice was also working on the house in front and, in order to save on costs, we chose to do the groundworks for both houses at the same time so we only needed one piling rig and could share the workload.” When it came to designing their new home, the Andersons wanted to put fami-
“The plot ticked all the boxes, and I could see the potential to build a new family home”
ly first, and took time to consider how they wanted to live in the home. “In terms of design you really have to understand how you’re going to use the house. Every place that you sit down should feel good and have nice views, both inside and outside. Everything should be a pleasure, including simply walking from one space through to another,” Richard says. “We wanted to reorientate the house south to take advantage of the sun path, and given that our eldest daughter still lived at home, we wanted to build a house which worked for us — rather than thinking about any potential value if we sold on,” he continues. As such, the couple decided against squeezing in extra bedrooms and instead made the three first floor bedrooms generous in size. “It was also about creating something interesting. My preference is to have spaces open up and unfold as you move through the house. By introducing vistas throughout, and thanks to the internal glazing, half walls and partitions, there are also glimpses into different rooms which offer an element of surprise.”
In order to ensure the house fitted within the local vernacular, the exterior takes its cue from the nearby barns and has been clad in brickwork painted white to match buildings within the village. “White-painted bricks just made sense,” explains Richard. “The material is fairly prevalent in the area and offers a timeless appearance. Not only does it help the house to resonate with the other properties along the street, but it lasts longer than white render which requires maintenance over time. By designing the home to have a low roof height, the opportunity to include balconies then presented itself — with such lovely views over the paddock, each bedroom now has one.” Thanks to its carefully tailored design, the house is filled with natural daylight. Strategically positioned glazing captures views of the gardens, while the open plan layout means these views can be enjoyed from all spaces. Offering all the space the family require, the home boasts four bedrooms – a guest bedroom on the ground floor helps to futureproof the house – and the immacu-
lately sons to landscaped make the gardens most of allow indoor/outdoor the Anderliving. The kitchen is unquestionably a highlight of the home. “It’s definitely our favourite room — it really is the hub of the house,” says Helen. “It’s a great space where we can all gather. It’s open to the other rooms including the mezzanine, so we can all still talk to each other, and there’s plenty of light thanks to the large hinged glazed doors [measuring an impressive 1.2m-wide].” Featuring bespoke handmade cabinetry, the kitchen has been designed to serve the family’s needs and is, says Helen, a great space to cook. A larder off the kitchen serves as a practical place to store items. Perhaps the biggest delight of the kitchen, however, is the snug which sits neatly in the corner and thanks to its lean-to roof helps to bookend the house. Low-level picture windows offer views of the garden from the seating position, too. “People have been very positive about the project, and they are always surprised about how light and spacious it is when they walk in as they don’t expect it from the entrance,” concludes Richard. “The house is such an enjoyable place to be and works perfectly for our family, which was the whole point in the first place — we love it.”