New Build - Bungalow Replacement

Out of the Woods

This case study is from SelfBuild & Design October 2020 | Buy this issue | Subscribe

Standing in woodland and resembling a pretty alpine chalet, this timber-framed home is clad in dramatic black larch.

Story: Debbie Jeffery Photography: Savills

In Brief

“For years I’d wanted to buy this plot, and we were incredibly lucky that the timing was just right when it finally came up for sale,” says Michelle Sames. “It’s in a sought-after village, in a part of Bath we know really well, and although the 1950s bungalow wasn’t particularly inspiring, its location was outstanding. For the same price, you could only buy a small apartment in town.”

Michelle and her husband, Barry, are familiar with period renovation projects and have owned several listed buildings in the Bath area, but this was their first new build – although the house was never going to be for them.

“We bought the plot and existing chalet bungalow for our daughter, Emily, and her husband, Fletch, just before they married in 2018, and then they paid for the building work, so it was a joint investment,” explains Michelle, who has two other adult children. “The setting is so idyllic, nestled away in trees in a little hamlet, and at first we planned to remodel the bungalow.”

The original intention was to renovate the existing bungalow 

Michelle is well adept at visualising spaces and chose not to work with an architect on the design – gaining planning permission for the alterations with help from a planning consultant. Then work began, revealing the poor quality of the building’s structure and foundations, causing her to immediately halt the project.

A rebuild proved a better option when the poor state of the building was revealed. 

“We thought we’d bought a fairly substantial classic 1950s bungalow, but what was uncovered made us rethink,” she explains. “That level of investment was just too much of a risk, so instead we lodged a fresh planning application – this time for a complete new build. Fortunately, making the decision so early in the project meant that the added expense wasn’t too great.”

The existing design for the converted bungalow has remained, standing within the original footprint, but instead of recreating the series of cramped rooms, Michelle and Emily chose to open up the spaces. “There were already three bedrooms in the old bungalow, but everything was squeezed into the ground floor,” Michelle continues.

Building upwards to create a one-and-a-half-storey house, and adding two new bedrooms and a bathroom into the roof space, freed up the ground floor for a large kitchen/dining/living area to the rear, and the original tiny kitchen and bathroom are now hallways. In addition, a study/snug, utility room, bedroom and generous bathroom are located on the ground floor.

“Nobody who saw the old bungalow can believe how spacious the new house feels. Designing the layout from scratch was actually quite hard, especially as I’m used to working with listed buildings,” says Michelle, who once again worked with a planning consultant to tweak the original design.

Michelle and Emily are directors of their family business, The Salcombe Trading Company, which specialises in Scandinavian-style furniture and home accessories, and both love the simple appeal of Nordic homes.

“The house definitely resembles an alpine chalet, with its steeply pitched roof, the balcony and black timber cladding,” says Michelle.

“We’ve lived in Switzerland, and Scandinavian design has a strong influence in our business, so building a timber chalet with an English twist made sense. We didn’t want to overdo the ski chalet look, though – our aim was for a more subtle effect.”

Gaining planning consent for a replacement dwelling delayed progress by eight weeks but proved surprisingly straightforward, despite the plot standing in a Conservation Area.

Set into the hillside within a secluded walled garden, the site is surrounded by mature trees, creating a woodland feel.

“None of the neighbours objected – in fact, they were really supportive,” says Michelle, who acted as project manager for the build.

Michelle wanted to use local suppliers and products wherever possible and worked with groundworkers, before a timber-frame company, Seviour Timber Frames, took the project to completion. Seviour’s owner, Craig Seviour, is an experienced timber-frame manufacturer, carpenter/ joiner and kitchen fitter, who proved invaluable throughout the build – making the bespoke staircase and even some smaller items, such as a chopping board from an oak worktop offcut.

“The only unknown was the groundworks, because after that we knew exactly what to expect, which is very different to working on an older building,” says Michelle. “Once you sign off on your timber-frame design there’s really no going back, which meant that everything needed to be decided early on. Then, for 12 weeks while the building was fabricated, I had time to concentrate on sourcing interior fittings with Emily.”

The highly insulated shell of the house was erected on block-and-beam foundations, with the timber-frame company also installing bespoke hardwood doors and casement windows, and cladding the exterior in locally grown black-stained larch weatherboarding above a painted render plinth. One side of the slated roof also serves as a mount for an array of solar thermal panels.

“It’s a woodland setting and we didn’t think it would receive enough sun to justify solar panels, but we were surprised to find that it’s actually a really light and sunny spot, which made installing them worthwhile,” says Michelle. “Emily and Fletch have been really pleased with the low running costs.”

Stone found on site was used to extend the existing garden wall, with a gate positioned opposite the entrance door, enabling views right through the property. “It’s such a symmetrical building, it wouldn’t have been possible to make changes without spoiling the balance and proportions,” explains Michelle, who helped out with the demolition and decorating.

The contrasting oak balcony and entrance porch were handcrafted by Seviour Timber Frames, with oak shakes chosen for the porch roof. “It’s such a dark-coloured house that we wanted something which would show up at night as a guide to the entrance,” says Michelle. “It’s completely invisible in the dark, and when the lights are on the windows look like eyes.”

Internally, pale painted dry-lined walls serve as a neutral backdrop to fixtures and furnishings, with Emily choosing a navy-blue kitchen for the open-plan space. 

“We wrongly expected the building to be dark, and went for lots of textures, warm colours and cosy sheepskins,” says Michelle. “We have a bit of an obsession with herringbone, so it appears subtly throughout the house, including the hall floor, out on the terrace and in rugs, tables and headboards.”