Written by Darren Blackwell – a Regional Architectural Designer within our Architectural Design team
I first met Mike and Ros while working on the Oakwrights stand at a Homebuilding & Renovating show. Although at the time they resided in Surrey, they’d recently purchased a plot not far from the coastline on the Isle of Wight. Having had experience with working on projects on the island, I suggested meeting on-site in order to develop their design brief, and so I could establish what would be acceptable from a planning point of view.
Having enjoyed a pleasant crossing on the ferry, I found Mike and Ros tackling the weeds and vines that had taken over various areas of their plot’s mature garden.
The existing dwelling on their site was a modest, single storey bungalow. However, due to the generous roof space, I was confident the size of the replacement dwelling would accommodate Mike and Ros’ requirements as the local planning policy allowed for a 35% increase in volume.
The architectural design process
The conceptual stage of the project commenced in early 2009. The internal layout incorporated four bedrooms; one of which was at first floor level, with an overall floor area in the region of 3500sqft.
Due to the elevated position of the site, emphasis was given to maximizing the aspect over the surrounding open countryside and distant coastline. With this in mind, a section of the first floor layout was allocated as a lounge area with full-height glazed doors leading onto a covered balcony, where Mike and Ros could enjoy an alfresco dining experience.
Consideration was also given to ensure the maximum amount of natural daylight was gained throughout Mike and Ros’ new oak frame home. This is characterised by the galleried landing with a direct and uninterrupted view into the vaulted roofline, with full-height glazed sections within the gable end.
The internal layout of the house was to be open-plan, with the kitchen flowing into the dining area and main lounge. Due to the sloping nature of the site, it was decided to have a section of the house split-level on the ground floor, with this area accommodating a home office and boot room.
Where the external treatment of Mike and Ros’ new home was concerned, this was to be a combination of stock-faced brickwork, horizontal timber boarding and exposed oak framed elements with full-height glazed sections, all under a plain tile roofscape.
Once the conceptual drawings had been prepared with sufficient detail, a further meeting was arranged with Mike and Ros at their home in Surrey to view my initial ideas for this exciting project. Ros had lots of ideas and these were always taken into consideration during the design of both their timber frame and future home.
The planning application process
A few minor tweaks later, including the possibility of a natural slate covering to the roof (which is not untypical of the vernacular architecture on the island), we arranged a meeting at the Isle of Wight Council offices with Planning Officer, Anna Priestly.
This pre-application meeting was very constructive. Although we had increased the overall height of the proposal by a considerable amount, due to the country-contemporary styling and being able to demonstrate we were within the allowable volume increase, Anna was very enthusiastic towards the scheme. She even commented that it was the kind of residential dwelling, with its well-articulated detailing, that should be more prominent on the island.
Following this, my colleague Sam Leach and I prepared and submitted a detailed planning application. In May 2010, planning permission was granted for not only the replacement dwelling but also a detached oak framed outbuilding, incorporating a two-bay cart lodge and workshop.
Preparing for building works to commence
To progress the project to the next stage, another colleague of mine, Greville Thomas and I went back over to the island to discuss the preparation of the Building Regulations drawings and the discharging of the planning conditions associated with the planning approval.
We could not have chosen a busier day to visit the island as it was the Monday after the Isle of Wight Music Festival. After working our way through the hoards of muddy festival-goers leaving the island, we arrived at Mike and Ros’ site and spent that afternoon going through the design and layout, room by room, until we were confident we had enough detailed information to commence with the Building Regulations drawings. These drawings were undertaken in tandem with the oak frame design, which guaranteed the frame was appropriately and accurately accommodated, with emphasis given to ensuring the most aesthetically pleasing structural oak elements were on display within the internal living environment.
As part of the tendering process for the general building work, Dave Duggan, a Co-Director at Oakland Vale Limited, was appointed as Mike and Ros’ project consultant. On preparation of a detailed schedule of works, a local building company which had previously undertaken a successful project with us here at Oakwrights was selected as the main contractor.
In 2013, Mike and Ros’ home was awarded a Local Authority Building Control (LABC) regional award and was highly commended in the 2013 national awards, which was well deserved. Images showcasing the truly magical outcome of their self-build, oak frame home can be viewed in the gallery below.
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