Cottage Extension – Contemporary Styled in Stafford

The extension of the this cottage in Weston, Stafford has taken influence from contemporary styling. The reason: to achieve modern family living under a host of restrictions and design constraints.

Firstly, the front elevation of the cottage which is clearly visible from the public highway, should not be compromised in any way. Therefore the rear extension is designed so that its height does not exceed the existing ridge height. This however provided a problem where by; if a traditional roof arrangement is applied to the extension, the 1st floor rooms become inaccessible without major structural alteration to the existing roof. Again, an important design consideration of ours is to keep as much of the existing cottage unaffected as possible. The second issue with applying a traditional styled roof is that it simply is not economical to undertake given the room sizes which will be provided vs the amount of space which needs to be lost within the existing to gain access.

Secondly, to provide open plan living extension in-keeping with the form and style of the existing  cottage, proved to provide a pastiche arrangement which visually appears ‘erroneous’ on the cottage.

Thirdly, the proposals must maintain privacy for the client whilst maintaining the privacy of neighbouring properties.

The proposals are contemporary in design which intends to be different and not pastiche in appearance. There is a clear visual definition on what is proposed as a 21st century addition to the 20th century cottage.

The choice of materials formed an important factor in the design of the extension. It is considered that darker materials fit and blend with the existing plain clay tiled roof and are less obtrusive than alternative contrasting materials.

The upper roof and walls are therefore provided in a high quality black zinc, which is attached to a black brick with black mortar spine. To the lower ground floor levels, to blend in with the existing white brickwork, a through colour render system is chosen to provide a seamless but slightly distinct blend.