Heatherside
Stephen and Aine asked us to design a light and spacious forever-home for their growing family.
They had purchased the land, which is on a steep slope in the green belt, over 10 years ago and felt the time had come to build their dream home. Due to the challenging nature of the site, they were already working with Maybern, a planning consultancy when we were appointed. They had heard of our past success in achieving planning permission for tricky sites.
Our starting approach was to develop a design that is a direct response to the landscape and the local context. We also factored in Stephen and Aine’s desire to live in an open home flooded with light that has a strong connection to the outdoors. You can see the evolution of the design in our blog.
We created a two-storey design with the living areas embedded into the slope of the hill and shed-like forms above for bedrooms. The ‘sheds’ will echo the sheds found in surrounding fields and vary in form and roof pitch. There’s a beautiful contrast between the sheds and the stone base, resulting in a design that feels as if it belongs in the landscape.
Our design will be tested using Paragraph 79 of the National Planning Policy Framework which requires us to demonstrate that the design is exceptional and innovative. To give the project the best chance of gaining planning we have been working closely with a planning consultant, landscape architect and highways consultant to address the majority of potential objections prior to submission.
“The distant views give a good impression of the building design and show how well the lower volume nests into the ground.” Place Matter Design Review
Images: Steve Banks
Location: Ramsbottom, Bury
Client: Private
Contractor: TBC
Planning: Submitted 2020
Site: TBC
Completion: TBC
Energy consumption: TBC
Budget: £2000/m2
Grove House
John & Julie wanted us to replace the existing, poor-quality extensions at the back of their new home with something that gave them a better connection to their garden.
They had just moved to Oakham to begin their retirement in a new town. Their new house had all the space they needed and a lovely garden. But the connection between the two wasn’t good. Their kitchen felt dark and was cut off from their garden by the extensions.
We helped them to create a spacious and light-filled kitchen/diner which radically improved the connection to their garden. Large and carefully positioned windows direct views down the length of the garden to make you feel like you’re sat in amongst the planting. Whilst large roof lights flood the old kitchen with light.
High-quality Velfac windows and a highly insulated construction mean this extension will be a wonderfully warm and comfortable place to spend time in during their retirement.
We also helped the couple to future-proof their home by transforming the garage into a new snug which they can transform into a ground-floor bedroom with ensuite in the future.
We worked with John & Julie to achieve planning for their project before producing a detailed set of construction drawings for their contractor to use.
“Sitting in the dining area you really feel as if you are in the garden. Thank you, Paul and Team.”
Julie, Downsizer, Oakham
The house before work started:
Location: Oakham, Rutland
Client: Private
Contractor: Belford Construction
Planning: February 2018
Site: July 2018
Completion: July 2019
Energy consumption: N/A
Construction Cost: £1575/m2
Fulwood Road
Matt asked us to design a replacement for the dated annex which attached to his parent’s Victorian villa. This would become a new home for Matt and his family whilst also allowing him to provide support to his parents in their retirement.
Inspired by Matt’s love of modernist design and the local Conservation Area we developed a modern design with plenty of glazing that sits well next to the existing villa. It takes full advantage of its garden whilst also providing a range of family friendly spaces for Matt to enjoy.
The site of the existing annex is extremely tight. It’s overlooked by four other properties and bounded by three separate party walls. We had to work hard to overcome these constraints in our design. It was also important to give both of the existing households their own privacy. We used a range of techniques to maintain this whilst maximising the amount of light and views Matt could enjoy through his windows.
The villa is an important building within the Conservation area. As a result planning required a careful approach to justify the modern aesthetic which Matt was keen for. We worked closely with a fantastic team of consultants, as well as the local Conservation Officer, to guide the scheme through planning.
We’re hoping to start work on site in early 2021.
Photo Credit: N/A
Location: Fulwood, Sheffeld
Client: Private
Planning: March 2020
Site: TBC
Completion: TBC
Energy consumption: TBC
Budget: £1865/m2
The Last House
Craig & Jane invited us to replace a tired, dated and ugly house they had recently purchased with a bright, spacious and modern home. One which would be more fitting for their conservation village setting.
Taking inspiration from the historic setting our design is composed of two wings split by a large open-plan and double-height kitchen, living and dining space. This will allow Craig & Jane’s family to come together in the central space to socialise but also allow them to retreat into the wings when needed. This is particularly important for Jane’s father-in-law who will be moving into the new house. Our design provides him with his own, self-contained living and sleeping space on the ground floor.
We worked closely with a heritage consultant and local planning officers, as well as Craig and Jane, to develop a sensitively designed, modern home for the site. Our careful approach paid off as we were awarded planning permission at the first attempt for the couple’s dream home. This was despite its location in a rural conservation area.
At the detailed design stage, we have collaborated with Craig, who will be self-building the house, and a timber frame manufacturer. As part of this, we have produced a thorough set of construction information which will help Craig to build the house as quickly as possible.
Photo Credit: N/A
Location: Teversall, Nottinghamshire
Client: Private
Planning: 2018
Site: 2019
Completion: 2019
Gross internal floor area: 350m2
Energy consumption: 29 kWh/m2.a
Budget: £1140/m2 [Self Built]
Brattleby
Lee and Jaclyn invited us to design their dream, light-filled home. One which would help them to spend time together as a family in a small rural village near Lincoln.
Our design makes careful use of Lee and Jaclyn’s tight budget. The house is a simple, barn-like form which makes the most of its modest floor area and will be cost-effective to construct. We have then carefully spent the budget on features that will bring moments of joy to their home. These features include the dramatic, double height entrance hall and a luxurious master bedroom suite which takes full advantage of the surrounding views.
The site, located in a conservation area, already had planning permission for a fairly standard house. This wasn’t to Lee & Jaclyn’s tastes so they were keen to amend it to a contemporary design which matched their needs as a family. We had to work closely with our clients, the local authority and a conservation consultant on the project. And gained planning for a modern design in a sensitive setting.
Our design, whilst contemporary in appearance, takes inspiration from its surroundings. The gable ends resemble a simple barn and the roof pitch matches other buildings in the area. A carefully chosen palette of materials reflect the rich tones of the village.
We designed the house to be extremely warm and comfortable to live in whilst using very little energy compared to a typical new-build house. The house will comfortably meet the AECB Performance Standard.
We have been guiding Lee & Jaclyn through all aspects of the self-build process to help them get the most out of this once in a lifetime process.
Photo Credit: N/A
Location: Brattleby, Lincolnshire
Client: Private
Planning: May 2019
Site: July 2019
Completion: TBC
Energy consumption: 15 kWh/m2.a
Budget: £1650/m2
Cortworth Road
Andy and Jodie asked us to transform their dark and dated four-bedroom house into a larger, modern family home. One they could enjoy for many years to come.
We worked closely with Andy and Jodie to design a new layout that would create the inviting family environment they have always dreamed of. It was important to remove the dark and disconnected spaces to create a lighter, open-plan space with a modern aesthetic.
“Before working with PTA, we had a 1960s house that was still stuck in the 60s! It was dark and dated with an ineffective heating and plumbing system.”
With this in mind, the centrepiece of the house is a fantastic double-height entrance that floods the house with light. It gives added functionality with built-in storage on the ground floor, and on the first floor, there is an open study area for the whole family to use.
Stylish wood cladding, new render and grey aluminium windows and doors will update the overall appearance and compliment Andy and Jodie’s new colour palette. Increased insulation and air-tightness with high-performance windows and doors will make the home more comfortable to live in.
At the rear, a new extension will house a much larger kitchen, dining space and playroom – the essential components to any family home. This space, which will undoubtedly become the heart of the home, is connected so that they can keep an eye on their young family and also provides stunning views of their extensive garden. As an active family, they’ll also be able to make the most of their patio in summer and enjoy spending time outside together.
“We didn’t think twice about working with Paul and the team after seeing the new extension they created for a friend’s period property in Norfolk. It was modern and simple, yet striking.”
Andy and Jodie now have an extra bedroom for guests to stay, along with a new master bedroom and en-suite for themselves. We also upgraded their youngest child’s bedroom, which was previously small and cold, doubling it in size for her to enjoy as she gets older. To the side of the house, we designed a generous utility room and WC, which was an important addition for Jodie to run the family home.
The build went comparatively smoothly thanks to an engaged contractor – Terry Huggett – and was overseen by our Project Architect, Julie Maxwell, who made regular site visits.
“It’s been brilliant moving back in. It’s so light and spacious – it’s like moving into a different house.”
Andy and Jodie, Sheffield.
Location: Ecclesall, Sheffield
Client: Private
Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments
Planning: February 2017
Site: April 2018
Completion: Summer 2019
Energy consumption: N/A
Construction Cost: £900/m2
Sycamore Hall
John and Jean asked us to transform their small, dated bungalow into a future-proofed, sustainable retirement home. One that is full of light, warm, economic and easy to live in.
We fully reconfigured their home internally, added two small extensions and strategically placed rooflights to create the generous, light-filled living spaces they craved.
To make the most of their beautiful view we created three special windows. Two of these can be enjoyed from generous window seats giving you the feeling that you’re sat in the landscape.
An extremely thorough retrofit of insulation, triple glazed windows, air-tightness work and mechanical ventilation have made their home a wonderfully warm and quiet building to live in during their retirement.
We supported John & Jean throughout their project from planning right through to construction. We helped them to choose the right contractor, manage their costs and worked with their contractor to deliver this fantastic project to a very high standard.
“Much of the good design is summed up in the living room main window and box seat – economically enlarging an existing window space, and transforming it into one of the centre pieces of the building both visually and functionally. Young and old are drawn to it, they love it.”
John & Jean, Downsizers, Bolsterstone
Photo credit: Dug Wilders Photography
Location: Bolsterstone
Client: Private
Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments
Planning: June 2015
Site: Jan 2016
Completion: May 2017
Energy consumption: 48 kWh/m2.a
Construction Cost: £1300/m2
Awards: Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2018 – Shortlisted
Hunshelf Park
Our Green Homes asked us to gain planning for 10 new homes on a tricky site in Stocksbridge. Each house had to be affordable, spacious, highly sustainable and customisable by the purchaser.
The Passivhaus standard was the natural choice for the project. It allowed us to meet our client’s very high sustainability and comfort standards but it also helped us to minimise the acoustic impact of the nearby steelworks; one of the barriers which had prevented the site from being developed before.
We used the steeply sloping site to our advantage: raising the development above the road and placing parking to the front to increase the acoustic separation of the homes from the steelworks. This also allowed for fantastic long views over Stocksbridge from first-floor windows to help increase the development’s saleability.
We designed the homes to be flexible internally so Our Green Homes could provide customisable dwellings within the same standard shell. This helps purchasers to choose a layout that matches their family’s needs. Our design also helps homeowners to easily adapt things in the future to suit their changing needs.
Working closely with our client we developed a robust construction strategy for the project. One which would allow it to be built to an extremely high standard but within a budget so the homes to be sold at an affordable price. Similar to our Self Build on a Shoestring Concept Design we have reduced our reliance on wet trades to dramatically reduce the build’s programme. Our design also minimises waste as far as possible and makes the best use of standard, off the shelf components.
We collaborated with planning, highways and acoustic consultants to overcome the majority of possible objections prior to submitting a full planning application. This helped to reduce our client’s risk and meant the scheme was approved unanimously at the planning committee.
“[Paul Testa Architecture] has sustainability and energy efficiency at the core of their designs. They have designed several Passivhaus buildings before and were an obvious choice to work with.”
Photo credit: N/A
Location: Stocksbridge, South Yorkshire
Client: Our Green Homes [Bentsfield Ltd.]
Planning: 2019
Site: TBC
Completion: TBC
Energy consumption: 14 kWh/m2.a
Budget: £1100/m2
Footgate Close
Paul & Kate asked us to modernise and extend their cramped, cold 1960s semi to create a warm, comfortable and generous home for their young family.
We transformed the ground floor to create an open plan kitchen, living and dining space which allows them to spend plenty of quality time together as a family. A new side extension helped us to create more space for the essentials of family life: such as generous utility space, playroom, downstairs W.C. and plenty of storage space.
Upstairs we added a new master bedroom with a secluded roof terrace. The perfect retreat at the end of a long day.
We worked extremely closely with the main contractor to meet the rigorous Passivhaus Enerphit performance & energy standard for the house. This has made Paul and Kate’s home wonderfully warm and comfortable for them and their young daughters to live.
“It has been an enjoyable experience and since the planning application has been approved, I look forward to a new adventure ahead where I know I’ll be in safe hands!”
Kate, Upsizer, Sheffield
The house before work started:
Location: Oughtibridge, Sheffield
Client: Private
Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments
Planning: May 2017
Site: August 2018
Completion: May 2019
Energy consumption: 25 kWh/m2.a
Construction Cost: £1700/m2
Stringer Barn Conversion
Allyson invited us to design a spacious barn conversion for her and her growing family. The barn conversion had to become a warm and cosy home which made the most of views from her green belt site.
We designed the house around a hearth which very much becomes the heart of the family home. Around this we arranged a series of broken-plan spaces so that Allyson and her family could feel connected whilst spending time enjoying separate activities. This included a series of double height spaces which bring plenty of daylight into the heart of the house whilst also connecting the first and second floor together.
We helped Allyson through a tricky planning process as a result of the site’s green belt location. This meant we had to work hard with the barn’s existing structure rather than replacing it. A mix of timber, stone and steel roofing was used to help the new house blend into its rural location despite Allyson’s desire for a modern home.
We targeted the Passivhaus Enerphit performance and energy standard for the home. This required lots of careful work during the detailed design stage of the project to help the old barn to achieve the standard. However it will mean that Allyson’s family will have a warm, cosy and healthy home with minimal running costs for many years to come.
We have guided Allyson through each stage of the project including helping her narrow down the choice of contractors for her dream build. We’re now looking forward to the project starting on site in the near future.
Location: Emley, West Yorkshire
Client: Private
Planning: 2016
Site: TBC
Completion: TBC
Energy consumption: 25 kWh/m2.a
Budget: £1350/m2
