Journal

Space & Style Home Design are an architectural practice specialising in home extension and remodelling projects.

Modernist bungalows

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Space & Style

We are just back from a trip to Palm Springs that helped us fall in love with bungalows and particularly modernist flat roofed bungalows.
To make it absolutely clear, we are not talking about the plethora of dull tiled roof bungalows that were built in the UK in the 1950s, 60s and 70s that plague our suburbs and countryside. Whilst UK developers were busying themselves knocking out road upon road of uninspiring bungalows for empty nesters, Architects and designers in the USA were producing stylish single storey homes that were designed for modern living and entertaining.
These mid century homes were typically built with privacy to the road frontage, had large areas of glass beyond, used natural and modern materials with clean lines that have a horizontal emphasis. Internally they have open plan layouts that blur the lines between inside and outside spaces. All of which sounds very much like a typical wish list for today’s contemporary homes.

We appreciate that not everyone will get this, least of all the anti flat roof brigade who believe that no home is complete without a tiled roof, or indeed the people who think that each property should resemble the property next door. Whilst the homes in Palm Springs were designed to be low profile to allow amazing views of the mountains beyond, the same benefits of a low profile home which allow views beyond would be applicable in the UK. Indeed, we successfully won an appeal against a decision by the Isle of Wight Council to refuse permission on a project where we changed the design of the house from a pitched roof to a flat roof, by among other points, arguing that the design of the flat roof opened up greater views. Can you imagine the negative impact a pitched roof would have in blocking out the view of the landscape on some of these snaps that we took on our travels?

The modernist design has other benefits, flat roofs can cover any shaped floor plan and act as a simple unifying design element even when used with differing storey heights. Flat roofs are great for locating solar panels and cells out of sight or can even be constructed as a living sedum roofs for even better eco credentials. With all the rooms on one level, bedrooms can have side facing windows, which is not always permissible when bedrooms are placed on upper storeys. Space is not wasted by landings and staircases and storey heights can easily be increased in halls and major rooms of the property without repercussions to the upper level.

If you have a bungalow that you would like us to redesign as a contemporary modernist single storey home, please give us a call or send us an email to start a discussion about your ideas.

Posted in Design, Extending, Exteriors | Tagged Contemporary bungalow, extension design Fareham, modernist bungalow, space and style home design | Leave a comment

Work underway in Crofton

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Space & Style

The remodelling project on a bungalow in Stubbington, Hampshire that we gained planning permission for at the end of May is now well under way.

The project will see the bungalow extended to the rear and another storey added to create a modern family home. Our proposal adds just under 100m² of living accommodation and creates a 57m² kitchen and family room at the rear. The kitchen will have a vaulted ceiling extending to 4.5m high, a glass gable overlooking the garden and a wide expanse of glass doors giving access to a south facing patio.

The ground floor also benefits from the creation of a larger living room, a ground floor WC and a new attached garage. Our clever reorganisation of the layout will see the hallway increased in width, a bright new entrance added and a welcoming open verandah constructed at the front. On the first floor, our design creates three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an internal hallway filled with light via an overhead roof lantern.

Despite opposition to the proposal, our well thought through design and clear proposals gained the support of the local planning authority who were happy to approve the application.

Posted in Design, Extending, Planning, Remodelling | Tagged architectural services Hampshire, double your house for half the money, extension design Fareham, extension Hampshire, Hampshire architectural services, space and style home design | Leave a comment

Planning granted in Warsash

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Space & Style

We are pleased to announce that we have just gained planning permission for the extension of a 1950s detached house in Warsash, Southampton that will transform the interior layout.

Our proposal for a single and two storey extension will update and improve the property, whilst creating a 52m² kitchen with doors opening out on to the mature garden.

The house that has barely been touched since its construction some 60 years ago will benefit from a solution that will see the property remodeled internally by relocating the kitchen to the other side of the house, opening up rooms and adding a master bedroom and ensuite. The extension will incorporate wraparound folding doors that will allow great views of the garden and with the roof lights will flood the ground floor with daylight.

Our design concentrates the greatest mass and height of the building in the centre of the plot which allows the part nearest to the neighbouring property to be single storey. We purposely positioned the eaves of the hipped roof extension lower than the main house to provide visual interest and to create a subservient and not dominating feel to the extension on the house.

Once more our careful attention to design paid off with the planning application for the extended and improved home being well received by both the planning authority and the neighbours.

Posted in Extending, Planning | Tagged 100% planning permission, extension design Fareham, extension Hampshire, planning permission hampshire | Leave a comment

Winchester remodelling project nearing completion

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Space & Style

We are pleased to report that the scheme that we designed for the remodelling and extension of a rundown 1950s house in the Winchester district has now been completed. When we first visited the countryside property in 2016, the garden was overgrown, the house had fallen into decay with holes in the wooden floor, there were signs of damp in various places and the rooms felt cramped.
Our challenge was to come up with a solution that breathed new life into the house, whilst maintaining its charm and character. Our design solution reconfigured the layout by relocating the staircase and the kitchen, opening up rooms, removing walls and chimneys and building a new extension and chimney to the old house.

Our design created a two storey extension which went alongside and over the top of an older flat roofed addition which has increased the house from just over 120m² to 190m² .

Brickwork, a stepped elevation, hipped roof and salvaged plain tiles have allowed the extension to fit seamlessly with the original house. The upper storey of the extension is partially set into the roof with the front eaves line purposely set lower than the main house and the windows to the side and rear being dormers.

Relocating the staircase is always a daunting prospect, but our clients did not need much convincing of the benefit of knocking the narrow hallway into the original living room and then removing the floor above to open the newly enlarged hall into the the upper bedroom to create a light filled two storey galleried hall.

Relocating and extending the kitchen has allowed it to have windows on three elevations and to become the hub for a busy family.

Posted in Extending | Tagged architectural services Hampshire, extension Hampshire, extension Winchester, Hampshire architectural services, Planning Fareham, Planning Winchester, remodelling period house, space and style home design | Leave a comment

Planning granted in Fareham

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Space & Style

We are pleased to announce that we have just gained planning permission for the remodelling and extension of a 1960s bungalow in Fareham which will transform it into a a contemporary house.

Whilst we might make the transition from single storey bungalow into a desirable house look easy, obtaining that all important planning permission was anything but straight forward.

With consideration about the impact of creating a two storey house with bungalows each side and concerns about the overall height of the proposed property, our initial response to a client that loves all things modern was for the property to become a contemporary flat roofed house. Rather than simply raising the external walls and adding a pitched roof as others have done in the road, our approach was to set the two storey element back from the part of bungalow nearest the road and to set it in from the side gable wall nearest the neighbour. However our cutting edge design did not cut it with the planners. Despite no opposition from the neighbours, the planners initially said that the whilst the design was commendable, they did not wish to see flat roof houses being built in the main Fareham area and that the design was too bulky.
Fareham house design

So having got nowhere with the flat roofed house, we turned our thoughts to a shallow pitched hipped roof design, which bizarrely gained the approval of the local planning authority despite being bulkier and taller than our earlier plans.

Our design will see the entire roof of the bungalow removed and another storey added, with a two storey extension being built to the rear. The design will incorporate a series of different shallow hipped roofs at both the ground floor and first floor levels, wrap around glazing and rendered and timber clad elevations. The design follows the stepped approach used for the earlier flat roof design but has been fully reworked to make it fit the hipped roof design.

Inside the house will have four bedrooms, bathroom and ensuite on the first floor, whilst the ground floor will be reconfigured to include a large open plan kitchen / family room (55m² ) with wrap around glazing on three elevations, study and living rooms.

By adding 100m² of additional space, the design will more than double the size of the original bungalow.

If you have a similar project in mind give us a call on 02392 525100.

Posted in Extending, Planning | Tagged Contemporary house England, Contemporary house Fareham, contemporary house Hampshire, Contemporary house UK, extension design Fareham, Extension design Hampshire | Leave a comment

Planning granted in Hill Head

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Space & Style

We are pleased to have gained planning permission for an interesting project near the sea in Hill Head, Hampshire.

Having worked successfully on two of their earlier projects, our clients were keen to unlock the potential in their new bungalow by building a whole new floor above the existing.

The bungalow originally built in the 1980s with a very shallow roof offered no scope for a loft conversion to create first floor accommodation without raising the ridge. Working closely with our client we developed an idea that would see the entire roof removed, the external walls raised by around 1m and a new steeper roof placed on top. Simple though it might sound, extending a property in this manner can often lead to objections from both the neighbours and the planning authority.

Our design creates a contemporary barn style property with a double height hallway with galleried landing, oversized windows with sliding shutter doors and acres of natural wood cladding. The property will increase by 151m² at first floor level with the finished overall internal floor area of the living accommodation over the two floors being 274m².

Inside the changes to the internal layout will be just as dramatic as the exterior. Three of the original ground floor bedrooms will be opened out to create a 9m long kitchen and social area. Despite a very large area being created on the upper floor, only three bedrooms are proposed with each having its own ensuite bathroom, whilst the master suite will have a balcony on the south elevation.

Despite the increase in size our careful crafted proposal helped ensure that there was no opposition to the proposal from neighbours and the planning application ran smoothly.

Posted in Extending, Exteriors, Planning, Self Build | Tagged architectural services Hampshire, extension Hampshire, Hampshire architectural services, remodelling bungalow | Leave a comment