Estate Cottage, Norfolk

The brief was simple; make a 1970s bungalow look very different. The problem property is situated within parkland on an estate in south Norfolk. What had been granted planning consent nearly 50 years ago would not have obtained approval now, and the impact this building was having on the immediate setting of the main Grade II listed house was considerable, and not positive.

Our first step was to develop a masterplan for all estate buildings, which included researching and writing a detailed Heritage Appraisal to help inform our initial sketches.

Our client identified that the accommodation offered by the bungalow was needed so demolition, the obvious solution, was not an option. It was decided that the bungalow would be thoroughly remodelled inside and out. Externally this meant covering the walls with a lime-based self-coloured render, re-roofing with handmade clay plain tiles and replacing the existing chimney with a carefully detailed oversized brick stack, which gives the composition vertical emphasis. We designed handmade hardwood doors and windows, a rear outshot structure was rebuilt, and the interior was re-planned and insulated. The entrance was given focus through a new porch incorporating rusticated tree trunk columns.