Elm End

Approached from the south and with views at ground floor into the existing garden to the West, the site was unusual in having attractive views to the sea and along the coast to the North and East. The design responds to these opportunities by adopting a contemporary styled asymmetric composition which allows a much freer way of arranging spaces and placing windows to make the most of everything which the location has to offer. 

 

Comprised of three volumes and clad with a rain screen of cedar boards, the main body of the house runs North / South with a subsidiary, smaller wing to the East and the two are linked by the stair tower, expressed as a third volume which rises above and is clad in an alternating rhythm of boards and battens or staves.  Above the entrance, where there is a two storey corner window, the staves run down in front of the glass giving privacy to the interior whilst allowing daylight to flood in. These staves are held in opening panels allowing the glass to be cleaned when necessary. The use of predominately flat roofs, except on the tower element,  provided the opportunity for creating two roof terraces and a balcony to make the most of the views.

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The structure of the house is blockwork cavity walls with a PCC ground floor and Eco-joist for the first floor and roof. It is well insulated and tightly sealed to reduce air permeability and is equipped with solar panels for hot water heating and mechanical ventilation heat recovery to reduce its carbon footprint.