Green Light

The next Facit Home in the pipeline has been given the green light and achieved planning permission, this time in a small village in rural Cambridgeshire.

We were presented with a site that contained a very unattractive concrete bungalow, but which already had consent in place to be split in half to accommodate two new dwellings. Our clients, Keith and Helen, did not want to build the consented design on their half and so appointed us to design a new home.

The existing permission gave us some basic guidelines with regard to acceptable mass and scale, but beyond that we felt that we could propose something far more radical than the traditional looking hip roof design we were to replace.

Keith and Helen were open to ideas, but they love to throw a party and so wanted lots of entertainment space for guests. They are also true outdoors people and so a very strong connection to the garden, with an area for al fresco dining was also high on their wishlist. Their previous property had an air source heat pump and they were keen to look at similar renewable energy sources on their new home.

The site presented some restrictions but also some great opportunities, with a south facing garden that offered views out on to open countryside.

Our design makes the most of this with a huge open plan space that wraps from the western side round to the entire south facing rear. Keith and Helen originally asked that the living area be slightly closed off, but once they saw the 3D walkthrough of the space without walls they were quickly convinced that the interlinking spaces worked better left open.

Further drama is added with double height spaces at the entrance and over the kitchen/diner. Upstairs we have designed in flexibility, with the large master wardrobe able to be converted in to a fourth bedroom in the future if needed.

The landing has a large roof light above and the void areas will make the centre of the house feel open and light. The master suite takes in all the glorious southern views, with even the bath being perfectly positioned so you can see for miles as you soak.

It’s great to start the year off with another planning win. Our senior architect George will now guide the project team on to the technical design stage as we get ready to bring this new home to life.