Inspiring home of the week: a reimagined country cottage in Aylesbury

Planning laws made it difficult to modernise the grade II listed country home

Thatch the way to do it: this 400-year-old home had the ‘the most challenging plot’ to work with (Lynn Palmer Architects)

Creating a home in a protected property is the dream for many, but renovating old properties to meet modern needs creates unprecedented challenges for architects. This beautiful country property near Aylesbury was bought by a fortysomething couple who wanted to create an extension that retained the structural integrity of the original cottage, but brought in light and added much-needed bedrooms for their large family.

Lynn Palmer Architects, an Oxfordshire-based firm, were given the task to create an inviting and liveable atmosphere in the home – but also preserve the 400-year-old build complete with thatched roof.

The key was to turn the house upside down and place the bedrooms on the lower floor within the extension, where the privacy due to the lack of light would be welcomed. Half of the sleeping areas are subterranean, very densely insulated, so little heat is required. Above that is the living space, organised as a glass-ended tube, from where you can now see the rear gardens.

When it came to obtaining planning permission, the architects had to prove their creativity. “We worked closely with the local conservation team, who understandably wanted to ensure that any additions to the property would not dominate or obscure the original cottage,” says Lynn Palmer, lead architect and founder of the firm. “It was vital for us as well not to overpower the existing features and to take into account the shape of the property and the maths behind its structure.”

The result was a multilevel extension, with large floor-to-ceiling windows that paid tribute to the original form.

We sat down with Ms Palmer to talk about the challenges of this grade II restoration:

Please tell us a little about your practice

The business was founded in 2010 and my office was my dining room table for three years. I then rented out office space for a further three years with a team of three. It was while crossing the Outback in Australia in 2015 that I formulated a business plan: fast-forward to 2018 and we now reside in our own offices, in the centre of Thame, Oxfordshire, with an eight-strong team of fun, creative and energetic individuals. It has been a heck of a journey and a steep learning curve, but I am proud of what we have built and very excited about the future.

What is your practice known for?

We are fast becoming synonymous with developing the undevelopable! Creating contemporary extensions to listed buildings that not only work with the existing architecture, but get through planning with ease. If it’s listed, in a conservation area on a sloping site with limited access, we’re in! It’s a challenge but it is not impossible. In terms of our ethos, we are well known for being a friendly and approachable practice. At the heart of the practice is a strong focus on communication and trust, and that is built up over time and with open dialogue with our clients. At the end of the day we are designing people’s homes – and while we like to push the boundaries of creative design, the spaces must work for our clients and they must trust us to deliver.

How would you sum up the project in five words?

A seemingly undevelopable architectural triumph.

What was the brief for this project?

Back in early 2017 we were presented with a common dilemma from a growing family. ‘Improve rather than move’ was easier said than done in this case. Our clients, both working professionals in their mid-40s, decided to take on the challenge of extending their existing cottage, bought seven years earlier, to create a much-needed spacious, brighter home. Their two-bedroom house, which was no longer adequate for their growing family of five, presented all the hurdles one can imagine; it was a grade II-listed property with a thatched roof in a conservation area, situated on a steeply sloping site.

Our brief was to create a sense of arrival. This included a proper entrance hall, large family living space, a spacious kitchen and two additional bedrooms. Most of all, the house was crying out for a design that took in the view and access to the 200ft-long tiered gardens from inside the property.

What did you hope to solve as you designed this home?

As custodians of grade II properties it is right that planning laws prevent us from ripping the heart out of our historic buildings and protect the street scene, but we have to move with the times. So how do we work with our listed properties, make them suitable for modern busy families who need more space and more light but still preserve the stunning features that drew us towards them in the first place?

Initially, the cottage had two bedrooms with very low ceilings, a bathroom, a single open-plan living space, which had little to no light, and a small kitchen in the outbuilding. One of the other biggest complaints was not having space for a table in the dining room as they were very limited when it came to accommodating their growing family. The front elevation of the cottage was raised approximately a metre above the pavement level, with the rear garden rising a further two metres before levelling out. What’s more, prior to the cottage being listed in the 1980s, a single-storey slate roof outbuilding and uPVC conservatory were attached to the rear elevation, completely obscuring the original mix of stone, timber and brick infill panels to the rear facade. Just to add to the dilemma, when approaching the original cottage the first thing that struck you was the difficulty in finding the front door. The search would take you from the front street, round the side, up the slope to the rear garden before descending back down a precarious set of steps and through the outbuilding.

Bearing all this in mind, our solution was to create a tube with a light, flat roof through which you can see everything, linking the old with the new.

What makes this space unique?

With its quirky charm, beautiful features and an extensive 200ft garden, the cottage was just perfect. The property nestles among similar characterfull properties just off Long Crendon High Street in one of the most sought-after areas in the country. The setting of the house is stunning, so much so that film crews, including the ones from the Midsomer Murders series, are regularly camping outside along the street. Like most growing families, eventually the house stopped working for them. Design-wise, we balanced their desire for contrasting modern and traditional features by creating a glass-ended tube – and the project was finalised in just six months, achieving a stunning look which captured the attention of Channel 4’s Best Laid Plans. The unusual addition to the property blends in perfectly with its surroundings, featuring rosemary roof tiles and crisp white rendered walls.

What was your inspiration for this project?

Many of our designs incorporate natural materials that complement the original building and its surroundings, such as grass roofs, cedar shingles and modern thatching materials, but use them differently. We have opted for glass structures that form a clear distinction between the traditional and modern parts of the building – flooding the space with light and framing the original house behind it. All houses in the area are listed and have tiles, so this new addition blends into it in its own role.

What was the toughest issue you encountered when this building was being designed and built?

From an architectural point of view this was the most challenging plot you could work with, and it desperately required a creative solution.

What do you wish you could change in hindsight?

Nothing, honestly, absolutely nothing. Maybe less rain and more sun!

What sort of experience do you hope people using this space have?

We build homes for our clients that surpass expectation – a haven away from the stresses of everyday life. In this case our clients wanted a space that took advantage of the 200ft garden and gave them more living space and an extra bedroom for their family. We want all our clients to open their front doors, exhale, relax and love the space they are in.

Please add anything else you feel is important...

It is worth noting that nothing about this build was straight forward, from the custom-made steel frame to the bespoke kitchen. We pushed the limits of design, and the building team flexed to accommodate us. The clients allowed us to design a very ambitious and complicated build and never faltered once. It has been a privilege to work on this project and it is one I will never, ever forget.

For more tips on rennovation and self-building head to the The Homebuilding & Renovating Show 30 Jun-1 July at Sandown Park, Surrey, www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/surrey