Light-filled luxury – it’s a glass act
THIS WEEK: Light-filled homes that go all- out for glass
IT’S not just an extension – it’s a complete transformation. When architect Roger Walsh bought Sonamarg, his three-bedroom 1960s-built house in Hampshire, he wanted to make the best use of its position. As the back of the property faced south on to an extensive garden, there was potential there to flood the house with light.
And that is what he did, by adding side and back extensions, and installing large glass doors and skylights. The result shows that, by taking full advantage of a house’ s surroundings, it can be given a new identity.
Roger has also reaped maximum benefit from developments in technology. Houses with lots of glass no longer struggle to retain heat in winter and need to be cooled down in summer.
The new open-plan kitchen, dining and reception rooms all have large glazed doors, bringing in natural light. Upstairs, two spacious bedrooms and two large modern bathrooms have been added to the original three double bedrooms. The master bedroom includes vaulted ceilings and a shower room with underfloor heating.
But Roger was also keen to preserve the original structure of the house, which is named after a hill
s t at i on i n Kashmir where the first owner and his wife spent their honeymoon. ‘The design deliberately preserved the floor layouts,’ he says. He also retained the original parquet flooring in the reception room and kept small areas of exposed brickwork.
The garden, measuring a third of an acre, is surrounded by mature trees and shrubs, providing privacy to the paved terrace. A driveway gives access at the front of the property, where there is enough parking space for five vehicles.
The house is on a secluded pri- vate lane but Farnborough railway station is only a short walk away – trains reach London Waterloo in just under 40 minutes – while the M3 is less than five miles away. And there is planning permission for a new extension that would form a cylindrical garden room and study over two floors.
Roger and his wife Emily are selling to be closer to family, which means that whoever buys Sonamarg next will become only the third owner since the property was finished in 1961.