A Remarkable Contemporary Home

Matt and I can be rather impulsive and, once we had met architect Stan Bolt and seen his work, we decided not to approach any­one else,” explains Linda Fox. “The strange thing is that my taste is quite traditional – country cottages and barn conversions – but Stan designs such incredi­ble contemporary houses that we both loved the idea of being adventurous and trying something complete­ly different. Now we have lived here, I don’t think we could go back to living in a conventional house because it would seem so dark in comparison.”

Matthew and Linda Fox are both GPs and have two young sons - Harry, aged four, and Oliver, two. They bought their first home together in a tucked away location near Torquay in Devon for £95,000. The couple lived in this modest bungalow for six years, and planned to extend the property, which overlooks a rural landscape to the south west and has distant coastal views.

"We knew we wanted something out of the ordinary, and had been looking for ideas in magazines," Linda continues. "Stan was the first architect we approached, and we gave him an open brief to substantially extend, alter and modernise the existing bungalow, which had restricted views and no real access to the garden. We wanted to be able to throw open the doors and get outside really easily, and Stan came up with a radical design that replaced the pitched roof and sat two projecting timber clad bays on the existing walls, transforming the bungalow beyond recognition using large amounts of glazing and a curved stair tower."

Matthew and Linda immediately loved the scheme, but Stan grew concerned that upgrading and altering the existing structure to meet current building regulation standards would prove expensive, and suggested that the couple could consider totally demolishing and rebuilding their home instead.

"Not only were the bungalow's foundations not particularly sound, but there would be the added bonus of being able to reclaim the VAT on a new build," says Stan. "We decided to develop the project as an entirely new construction, honouring the height of the bungalow and retaining established building lines to avoid blocking views for the neighbouring properties. The house grew naturally from the site constraints - in many respects it designed itself."

Stan created a detailed scale model of the proposed new dwelling, which enabled the planners and neighbours to better visualise the building. Its layout centres around a ground floor entrance/-circulation area and two storey interconnecting living spaces formed by a glazed atrium and the curved rendered masonry stair tower, with more cellular and private spaces subservient to these core areas.

A planning application was submitted in August 2001 and received the full support of the Local Authority, Teignbridge District Council. Construction commenced in November 2002 on a Minor Works Contract to the value of £300,000, following a formal tendering process.

"It was hard watching our old home being demolished," says Linda, "but we were aware that we couldn't possibly have afforded to buy a building plot in such a good location, so it made sense to bite the bullet and knock it down."

The Fox family moved in with Linda's parents, who lived just two doors away, and continued working throughout the build. With a young family and demanding jobs, they were relieved that Stan Bolt could oversee the contract on their behalf. "We did absolutely nothing - although the boys did get to drive the diggers," says Linda. "We would have had no idea where to start. Choosing the paint colour for the wardrobes was about as far as our involvement went!"

The ground floor has been constructed in rendered cavity blockwork with beam and block flooring, and the lightweight timber framed first floor is packed with insulation. "A certain amount of steel framing was required to achieve the cantilevers, which gives the building its sense of abstraction," Stan Bolt explains.

These dramatic boxes have been clad in untreated cedar, with Roofkrete used to cover the flat roof. This is a waterproofing membrane which solves the problems usually associated with flat roofing materials and consists of natural minerals which do not decay. The stair tower has been built in brick to achieve the curved walls and finished in render. "Although the house is unconventional, it is quite low-tech and was very logical to build," says Stan, who paid great attention to every detail.

The couple's faith in, and commitment to, Stan's design saw him making almost every decision regarding the internal fixtures and fittings, from lights to door handles - a process which he considers to be part and parcel of his overall role. "Everything that's fixed is our remit," he says. In return, he has included generous storage areas in the hall and bedrooms which help to conceal the usual clutter associated with a young family.

The children have their own ground floor wing‚ behind a sliding door - a shared bedroom, bathroom and playroom, with comfortingly low ceilings, filled with toys and brightly painted furniture. A small guest room in this part of the house doubles as a retreat where Linda may paint and read. "I tend to use this room for relaxing, as we have a separate study area in the family room," she explains. "Having a partially open plan layout works well because we can be in the study or kitchen and are still able to keep an eye on the children."

Upstairs, the spacious adult living room is a truly contemporary space, with a high ceiling and large sections of virtually frameless glazing. Corner windows with glass to glass junctions erode the definition between inside and out, while panels of birch-faced plywood may be lit from behind - creating a glowing border of light.

"Stan had very firm ideas on everything, and we changed only a couple of minor details - such as repositioning a toilet door and adding a strip of pink to the wall in the en suite bathroom," says Linda. "We were also responsible for choosing the kitchen units, which were fitted by a friend, but virtually everything else was suggested by our architect. It means that the end result works extremely well as a whole."

Matthew and Linda have purchased new items of furniture for the house, including the understated sofas in the sitting room which complement the sleek lines, white walls and modern fireplace.

"Fortunately, we didn't have much furniture to begin with," Linda continues. "We gave away some things and others were burnt because they were so horrible. It was a completely fresh start for us, and the house has proved very practical for family life. With no carpets the children can ride their bikes on the slate and ash floors and have made a den in the space under the stairs. Although the design is most definitely a Stan Bolt house, it works for us, and we feel very proud of our new home."

Further reading:

• How to Design a Contemporary Home
• A Contemporary Dream Home on the Coast
• A Contemporary Riverside Self Build