Parrock Place was built in the 1930’s and sits in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Ashdown Forest Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. The original living space provided in the three-bedroom home was modest and our client wanted to adapt the property into a modern fit-for-purpose family home. He was also was keen to extend the property whilst retaining the architectural feel of a period home and worked with OSG Architecture to develop a design aesthetic that was both continuous to the 1930’s period and harmonious to its surroundings.

The project comprises a 2-storey side extension, adaptation to the existing standalone garage roof, a new car barn and office building, new tennis court and external swimming pool.

Following an extensive pre-application process with Wealden Borough Council to ensure a sympathetic, yet contemporary addition to the original dwelling, the approved design with its diminishing step levels allows the original building to maintain its prominence and reflects the topography of the site.

The design facilitates a smooth connection to the original home with effortless transition between old and new. The integrated aesthetic was achieved by ensuring a continuation of the eaves line and brickwork to match the existing and the introduction of stone surround to the windows and feature façade. The use of crittall casements within a timber frame similar to the existing windows unifies the appearance of the building.

The technical design of the scheme focused on achieving excellent U-values and utilises a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy efficiency. To enhance further the energy efficiency of not just the new works but also the existing house, air source heat pumps were installed. The entire adapted heating system utilises these units, absorbing heat from a colder place and releasing it into a warmer place using a vapor-compression refrigeration process, which is recognised as being fundamental in creating energy efficient buildings.

The scheme was awarded Highly Commended at the Sussex Heritage Trust Awards. Read our news post to see what the judges had to say.