The existing building was a brick and timber clad former stable block that had been converted some years ago. The existing building even had shingle roof tiles and as such had a very traditional appearance. Our clients wanted to add on a good sized extension that nearly doubled the size of the original accommodation in order to expand the market the property would appeal to.
In looking at the options it was clear that building off the front elevation would harm the character of the building and as such we had to build off the rear elevation. However there were a number of trees on that side of the building and a tree survey made clear that a specialist design would be needed using pile and beam so as to minimise the impact on the roots of the trees. Working with our clients it was also clear that there was an opportunity to do a very interesting contemporary extension to the building, rather than just matching the existing building. The result was a 'lightweight' black metal clad extension that sat just above the ground on these specialist foundations.
RCC were extremely pleased when the planners fully accepted the case we had presented and granted permission within the normal timescales.
