Knockwood House, Kent

Brief: Conservatory replacement, Kitchen modernisation and WC improvement

Budget: £75,000 - £125,000

Scope: Householder Planning Application, Building Regulations & Project Management

This property started life as a 3 bedroom house many years ago and had been extended multiple times over two decades by a growing family. The client, Paul, purchased the property knowing it needed modernisation and reconfiguration as the various extension had been ill thought through.

We suggest a ‘lighter touch’ than other architects who had visited the property. We believe that modernising the kitchen and WC, converting the current conservatory into a room and relaying a consistent flooring throughout the ground floor will bring the property in line with the modern life.

The conservatory replacement has been designed with an angled facade to the garden which orientates the room and kitchen towards the BBQ area and pool. It was essential that the space engages with the garden as the client likes to entertain, specially throughout the summer.

We successfully gained planning approval and building regulations sign off for the project and prepared the necessary construction information for the standard of finish the client wished to achieve. We also worked closely with the client to develop a kitchen layout which has included visiting the kitchen supplier with the client on multiple occasions to ensure the correct design is achieved.

The project build is now complete but wasn’t without it’s isues, namely the discovery of an old well and natural spring diorectly below the extension! We are very happy with the finished build, as is the client.

The success of this project is the quality of the facade and roof material installation. We specified and sourced a SanSelmo long format brick for the facade which compliments the existing house brick tones but also contrast sufficiently to ensure the extension is identified as its own building element. The existing ground floor extension was overclad in the brick installed with a stertcher bond with the bricks then installed verticlly in a saw tooth arrangement for the new extension. A charred larch has been specified and sourced for the roof plain which compliments the grey tones of the long format brick and also adds a real individuality to the project.

The picture of the saw tooth bricks at night show another reason why we decided to arrange them in this manner. The soffit mounted downlights cast a beautiful shadow over the brickwork which animates the extension in the night. Denzel the chocolate lab agrees!

A picture from paralleel to the rear wall of the existing elevation shows that the angle of the new extension wall is only very subtle however it made completel sense for this project and how the clietn uses the space. Every project is unique and we strive to find how to tweak a design to tail;or it to each client.