Contemporary Living in an Old Home: Part One

If you live in a period house but yearn for a more contemporary living space, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy the best of both worlds. The current trend for mixing old and new extends to architecture and interior design as much as it does to furnishing and fashion.

Planning Permission

In many instances you will not even need to apply for planning permission. Providing the scale of your new addition falls within the definition of Permitted Development (visit planningportal.gov.uk) the planners – and neighbours – hold no direct sway over the design of your extension, as consent is automatically granted.

This applies only to relatively modest additions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but in England, since 1st October 2008, the range and scope of extensions that fall within householders’ Permitted Development (PD) rights, and therefore beyond the direct influence of the planners, is very considerable.

It is only once you have to make a planning application – which is always the case for protected buildings and those where Permitted Development rights have been restricted or removed altogether – that you can start to encounter difficulties, depending on the attitude towards contemporary design taken by your local authority, and those on the planning committee.

Surprisingly, it is often easier to get support for a contemporary extension to a protected building than it is for an ordinary period house with no listing (see Extending a Listed Building). If you do meet resistance, the key is to take advice and build a case based on meeting local policy point by point, working with your designer and perhaps a planning consultant (visit rtpiconsultants.com). Your objective is to get the planning officer and their colleagues on board so that they recommend the scheme for approval. If you can also lobby one or two members of the planning committee, your application should be successful. If this still fails, you have a very high likelihood of success at appeal.

The Design Principles

Hugo Tugman, founder of architect-yourhome.com, the UK’s leading network of architects specialising in homeowner projects, believes that contemporary and ‘classic’ period design are entirely compatible, and often create far more pleasing and interesting results than a ‘pure’ design of consistent conformity. He believes that the key to getting the design right does not come from following a particular style, but a consistent set of design principles: “Style is the result of good design — not the other way around. An applied ‘style’ is inherently fake — and the dishonesty of such design pervades the whole work,” says Hugo.

“Good design should never feel like it is trying too hard. It is nigh-on impossible to effectively recreate the antique, and most attempts to do so end up feeling rather halfbaked. So be honest and express your new work as what it is — new!”

Award-winning architect Nicolas Tye, whose practice has undertaken many projects combining old and new, argues that: “Modern architecture must stand against old, respectfully nodding but being just as – if not more so – bold, upright and designed to last the test of time. This will then enhance the tapestry of the beautiful older mixes of streets and houses that we have.”

Whilst there is no single contemporary design style that works with every period building, the simpler and less detailed the architecture, the greater the chances of it working with a period building. An extension built entirely out of structural glass is perhaps the purest form, and unlikely to create a clash with any period style.

Modernist forms using clean straight lines, lots of symmetry, flat roofs, large areas of glazing and panels of render, masonry, or timber boarding work extremely well with Georgian and Queen Anne-style houses.

A more rustic building, such as a farmhouse or cottage, may lend itself to an extension that uses a more organic form rather than straight lines and symmetry. Each individual type of house will demand its own design solution and so the involvement of a talented designer is of paramount importance.

Generally, however, the scale of the new addition should be lesser than the existing building, so that it remains subservient. This means keeping the roofline below that of the original, and often limiting the addition to a single storey, or at least having only a single storey link.

Siting is also very important, balancing not only the need for more space and how this is integrated into the existing floorplan, but also visually so that the extension works in its context. In most instances, such additions are to the rear or side of the property and often remain hidden from the view of the highway.

Choice of Materials

Of equal importance to form and scale in creating a successful extension to a period house is the selection of materials and techniques. The key is to have a consistent approach that has integrity, for instance by selecting local natural materials, but combining them in innovative contemporary ways. Or perhaps choosing materials that are the contemporary equivalents to those used in the original building, for instance steel frame and glass, to extend an original halfoak framed building infilled with wattle and daub and leaded lights. Timber boarding that can be left to weather naturally, selfcolour anti-crack polymer render systems, metal cladding, and other natural materials, such as stone and brick, are all good choices.

What is very important is to choose materials and details that are complementary to the original building, in terms of the colour, scale, texture and pattern of the components. “Successfully adding a contemp - orary extension to a period building is not simply a question of choosing the right ‘modern’ materials,” says Hugo Tugman. “Contemporary design does not necessarily mean that everything has to be sharp and shiny — contemporary design can often be well executed with traditional materials.”

At some point the old and new must meet, and this junction of materials can be particularly difficult to get right, both technically and aesthetically. A common solution that tends to work well is to separate the two distinct sections using glass, so there is an almost invisible link. Sometimes this is achieved using a frameless, or minimally framed glass walkway, but it can also be achieved using a very small glass strip, creating a clear space of no more than 200-500mm.

How Much Will it Cost?

It can be more cost-effective to extend in contemporary style than to use authentic traditional materials and techniques that replicate the fabric of the original building. However, it is not a cheap way to build. Using traditional techniques and off-theshelf materials are far less expensive, but as James Snell of Snell David Architects puts it, “There is nothing worse than a poor fake.” Far better to make a contem porary extension of real integrity, and to limit the traditional crafts manship, and its expense, to the care and repair of the original building fabric. “Traditional materials and details can often create issues passing modern Building Regul - ations any way,” says James. “These are problems that do not apply with most alterations.”

You can expect to pay from £1,400/m² up to £3,000/m² to build a bespoke contemporary-style extension, compared to £1,200-£2,000/m² for a more conventional addition with a pitched roof and off-the-shelf joinery.

One of the difficulties of building a contemporary extension is in finding a building contractor capable of producing the high quality of workmanship demanded by modern detailing. Finding an architect with the right experience can be difficult too — not to mention tracking down an engineer capable of resisting the desire to over-specify your delicate design in a ‘belt and braces’ fashion, who is also willing to guarantee their work without charging the earth.

One solution is to opt for a design and build contract that combines design, engineering and construction in a single service, using a modular system that brings down costs (see useful links). There are a handful of such companies now entering the contemporary extension market and because of the level of options and variations, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a solution that is designed to meet your highly unique requirements.

Read part two for advice on interiors and extensions...

Read case studies...

Further reading:

• How to Asess a Property For Renovation
• How to Finance Your Renovation
• From Bland to Grand: Postwar Renovations