DORSET FARMHOUSE

  • Location: Dorset
  • Client: Private
  • Project status: On site
  • Project type: New Build
  • Size: 400sqm

DORSET FARMHOUSE

Dorset Council granted planning permission for this replacement farmhouse near Gillingham in September 2022. The original site consisted of a 2.5 storey detached house with a single storey rear extension. The house had been significantly altered from the original building over the years, and the clients wanted to modernise it, making it slightly larger and improving the internal layout. The new house sits on the footprint of the original farmhouse, but allows for better living space.

RBA designed a building that has some significant changes from the original house, which was at risk of flooding. To avoid this, we will raise the ground floor of the new building by 150mm. We will also raise the ceilings of the ground floor rooms and change the house to a 2 storey dwelling. A two storey rear extension provides a sitting and dining area on the ground floor, along with a master bedroom suite on the first floor. The east elevation contains a stunning double height kitchen, further enhanced by full glazing on the gable end. A new single storey link leads to a carport that replaces the original tack room and oil tank.  The link also gives access to a utility room and office.

Design

The new farmhouse design is more contemporary than the original building. The exterior has a mixture of original stone work and new timber cladding, with large window openings. A new zinc roof matches the already renovated outbuildings. It also ties the house to its surrounding agricultural and rural environment. The single storey link to the carport is designed to be built from Corten steel with full height glazing and a green sedum flat roof.

Sustainability

Sustainability played a large part in the building’s design. Firstly, the large green roof increases the site’s biodiversity. Excess stone from the original farmhouse will be reused wherever possible. The timber used for the cladding of the two-storey extension is locally grown and felled. SIPs to improve insulation will be used for part of the building, thus reducing its energy needs. A local company, Ecologic, is supplying these, further reducing the environmental impact of the build as transportation time and costs will be less.

 

Contractors begin work on the site early in 2023.

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