This impressive Georgian property has been extended and fully renovated to provide its owners with a historic home that’s fit for the future.
Dating back to the 1800s, Amherst Place is a house with plenty of history. Now its latest chapter has been written, with an extensive renovation of the old building as well as a brand-new extension and basement at the property.
JGA was appointed as lead planning and technical designers for the project, responsible both for the design and the overall management of the build. For director James Gavey, it was an opportunity to create something special, while respecting the existing structure.
“The house isn’t listed and we had ensured that we prepared a sympathetic design that was very much in keeping with the original Georgian appearance of the property, so the planning process was fairly straightforward. The double wing extension to the north side of the property mirrored the existing south wing, while the curved walls were designed to soften the appearance of the new additions,” he said.
“Not only does the new extension make the house a more enjoyable home internally, but we believe it also improves its external appearance. The addition almost seems to complete the property and restore the symmetry that you usually find with these delightful period buildings.”
While receiving planning permission for the work was relatively straightforward, the project itself had more challenges. The age of the house and the alterations it had undergone over the years meant the contractors were unsure of its underlying condition.
Quantity surveyor Dave Stuart headed up the team from Infinity Construction, the main contractor for the project. “With any refurbishment of an existing structure, it’s always somewhat of an unknown quantity. Until we take back the layers and find the structure underneath, we can never be sure what we are dealing with. In this case, we ended up having to complete a significant amount of structural repair works to ensure the longevity of the building,” he said.
The thorough investigations into the fabric of the house resulted in an additional workload for Dave and his team: “The structural repairs were fairly extensive; we found we needed to replace the entire ground and first floor structure as most of the joist ends were decayed, as were all of the existing timber lintels over windows and doorways. We replaced those with concrete lintels, rebuilt the partition walls throughout most of the house and added new linings to the walls. Ultimately, we created an empty shell and then rebuilt the property to the highest standards to ensure it will last for many more years to come.”
While the house threw up quite a few surprises, some of them were positive, as Dave explained: “The roof structure was in surprisingly good condition and needed little doing to it. We did, however, decide to replace all of the roof coverings in order to extend its lifespan for decades to come.”
But some of the outside work was far more extensive: “One unusual part of this project was the work we did to the façade of the house. We stripped the whole of the external decoration right back to the external walls. That’s a rare thing to do as it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to remove multiple layers of paint and renders. But once we had exposed the original lime mortar walls, we were able to put a new paint system on which will allow the building to breathe. It was a significant amount of work, but should make a genuine difference to the durability of the building.”
For James, despite the extra workload throughout the project, the end result was worth it: “When we started stripping the house and found the timber decay, we realised that to ensure the quality the clients wanted we would need to essentially take the house back to its four walls. There was additional work to consider, but it ensured that the whole property was upgraded with modern construction techniques as well as an extensive M&E design.
“Throughout the project, having the right team for the build was crucial. From the engineers to the timber and damp proof specialists, we had a really good team of consultants. We ensured that we liaised with everyone as early as possible to eliminate any issues, which was key to the success of the project.”
Having the right team in place was particularly important when it came to one of the most demanding parts of the build, the new basement that was created under the property. From the challenges for the contractor of getting the necessary machinery into the house, to bracing the building while the excavation work was undertaken, and ensuring the design for the all-important tanking system was robust – it was a part of the project that required plenty of consideration.
Now, the fully habitable space provides a reception bar, music room, snug and TV lounge as well as a comprehensive plant room to serve the house. Above ground, the new extension allows for a spacious, light-filled kitchen and dining area. A utility/ boot room and home gym complete the additions to the house – all designed to flow through to the west facing lawn at the back of the house.
That garden space has also been an important part of the project. Once the house was complete, the team turned their attention to outside. A new outbuilding has been constructed to serve as a pool house, outdoor sitting room and barbeque area. At the same time, the traditional terrace was rebuilt and a sunken garden added. Again, attention to detail here was key – ensuring that the garden areas reflected the symmetry of the house and added to its appeal.
Finally, an upgraded separate garage space was given a new roof to allow flexible room for any potential use – futureproofing the property for the clients at every stage possible.
With the project complete, the client and contractors are all delighted with the end result. For James, it was a rewarding project on many levels: “The clients were thoroughly enjoyable to work with on this project, as they were both very clear on what they wanted but also happy to listen to advice. It was a pleasure to be involved with the project and see it all come together, and especially to see our clients enjoying the new space.”
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