Farmhouse Renovation, Suffolk

Occasionally, a client comes to us having purchased a house that has been unaltered for half a century, and it is then a question of how far one intervenes to update the property balanced against a desire to retain fabric and character; such properties posses an unspoilt and rather special patina. This is what we faced at Uggeshall in Suffolk.

The Grade II listed late sixteenth century farmhouse required a light intervening hand, and this, coupled with a reliance on good materials and simplicity of design, equipping it for modern living. Inappropriate subdivisions made during the late twentieth century were removed. The attic accommodation, little altered since the early nineteenth century, remains unconverted – its character so gentle that all agreed it should not be spoilt. Elsewhere retained features were enhanced through the careful choice of new floor surfaces, quality fittings and paint colours.

Bespoke hardwood doors and windows replaced inappropriate 1970s softwood units, whereas some appealingly utilitarian 1930’s metal framed windows were refurbished and retained. A garden design ensure the house and immediate garden worked together, with a kiln bottom brick path linking the kitchen with a detached (and consolidated) range of open sided store buildings.

The result was the subtle conservation of an important and characterful Suffolk farmhouse, garden and outbuildings.