Farmhouse renovations are projects that we relish at JGA.
The owners of La Grange de Saints in St Martin’s tasked us to form a connection between the indoor and outdoor environments with a view to creating an al-fresco dining area, offset from the reconfigured upper floor accommodation.
Ensuring that we retained the original character of the house within the overall refurbishment project, we set about designing and specifying for a breakfast area full of light and a feeling of space.
The ceiling to the proposed breakfast area was to be vaulted, allowing the introduction of additional Velux roof lights to the new space. A large dormer window was to be installed, incorporating patio doors, to form the link on to a generous decking area that flows seamlessly onto the middle shelf of the tiered garden.
As is typical with any refurbishment project, there were several issues that we found solutions to. For example, to combat dampness we incorporated ventilation to the external void of the building’s perimeter and specified tanking solutions internally to subterranean walls. The stonework was re-pointed with lime to allow the building to breathe and to freshen up the facade.
Brand new timber windows addressed airtightness and U Value performance, whilst for climate control, insulated plasterboard was added to the internal face of the external walls.
To mitigate the decking area from casting shadow over a ground floor bedroom window, we introduced a large glass panel within the decking make-up. This allows light to be borrowed from the decking, as well as acting as a design feature, to ensure a comfortable living environment to that bedroom.
The character of the original farmhouse was enhanced further by works that exposed, and cleaned-up, original granite as internal feature walls.
La Grange de Saints is a beautiful property that has been given a new lease of life to meet our clients needs and a modern way of living.
Thanks to main contractor K J Brouard for delivering a project that both we and our clients, are proud of.
