Grade II New Build With Basement

The transformation in the last few weeks has been significant – we now have a top floor and the outline of a roof.

The size and design of the house is hugely influenced by what was permissible within a conservation village and the juxtaposition of the new house to our existing thatched cottage.  The total height of the new house is therefore slightly lower than the barge board of the thatch, as this A frame shows.  Not surprisingly, the roof and thatch of the existing cottage are not true, which becomes more apparent as the new roof is constructed adjacent.

Being a non standard shaped roof, all the roof trusses are being made by hand, on site, by our builders; this is evidently fairly unusual nowadays, as most are bought in pre-made.  George is in his element!

We spent the best part of two years designing and getting planning permission for the house, and used three different architects – not the ideal way of doing things, but having fallen out with our original Architect, we then took a more active role in the planning process, and used a second, local Architect, Stable Architecture to secure the additional planning. Finally, we are using the specialist building surveying and project management services of our current Architects, Roger Coy & Partnership. 

It is only now, as we get up to the top floor, that some of the decisions we made long ago have resurfaced.  For instance we have a step up on the landing, as you move from the roofline of the back of the house, to that of the front: fortunately we like it, but neither Alan nor I had remembered it being there!

We deliberated long and hard about how to get full height rooms throughout the house, despite the roof line needing to be lower than that of our low level thatched cottage, and this resulted in the house floors being at a lower level than the adjoining house and also the top floor being built into the eaves.  With the roof trusses going on, we have realised that two of the bedroom doors would need cutting to fit within the eaves: they are shown that way on the final plan, but we were so concerned that there was sufficient height to stand comfortably at the bathroom basin, that we missed the impact of the eaves on the doors.  Fortunately, George and our Architect have come up with an alternative position for the doors, so they open into the main height of the bedrooms.

Next week the scaffolding is due to be removed from the front of the house, to enable the village lane to re-open.  In the interim, all has gone quiet at EON, and nobody seems to know when they are likely to come and install the new power pole and move the existing one. Happily, George says it will not affect the build, until of course the electrician arrives.

BELOW: Our living room beam and block floor with deck behind.