Project Background

Client had a one-bedroom lodge/annexe in the garden that had been rented out for several years. It had been converted from an office space and before that an old chicken run. The client’s plan was to create a single house in its own right. Budget was £350K.

Problems Faced by the Client 

The main hurdle was securing planning as the property was outside of any defined development boundary and in an AONB. Through careful negotiation with the planners, approval was obtained under the permitted development route.

The Tangent Space Solution

Once we were instructed, we drew up detailed plans for a new house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the 1^st floor, and a living room, kitchen, utility room and garage on the ground floor. We applied for change in use to a dwelling to enable the project to go ahead.

The location of the property lent itself to a barn-type building and the client was open to the style, materials and character of the new building. We were also careful to be sensitive to the landscape of the site which was sloping and so we designed the building to step down to follow the existing topography.

The Result

The final building was a fully exposed oak frame post and beam construction, which used structural insulated panels (SIPs) in the walls and roof. SIPs have a high performance of insulation and energy efficient qualities that allow for a low energy structure.

The oak frame was manufactured off-site in the West Country and the SIPs panels were built in the Midlands. Thanks to cloud technology, both companies could download the 3D model we built of the house and begin their manufacturing process. We had allowed a tolerance of 20mm between the two components and they fitted perfectly! The oak frame was assembled in just five working days and the SIPs fitted in a further eight days to leave the building watertight.

The client is now very happily living in his warm, energy efficient new home and his only wish is that he’d made the decision to transform the original chicken run years ago!