hb&r trinity hall
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Homebuilding and Renovating article about basement extension and full refurbishmentTRANSCRIPT
Homebuilding & Renovating 77
Jeanne and Tim Flynn’s elegantly restored Victorian home captures
the best of both worlds — thanks to an ingeniously designed double
basement which provides space for contemporary living
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Hidden Depths
76 homebuilding.co.uk$
Creating a home which is a haven for children and parents alike is no mean feat. But if ever a project achieved both in an effortlessly stylish fashion, then it’s the home of Jeanne and Tim Flynn,
and their four children, 15-year-old Jack, Chase, 13, Zoe, 12, and 10-year-old Grace (pictured below). The Flynns’ gloriously restored Victorian property in a leafy Oxford Conservation Area, not only benefits from a contemporary addition containing an open plan kitchen, dining and living space, but the new basement below is arguably the ultimate venue for sleepovers.
“In America, the basement is tradi-tionally a space dedicated for children and teenagers to hangout in the winter,” says Jeanne, who grew up in Miami but moved to London in 1996 with husband Tim, an Arizonian. “Without our base-ment, I don’t think this house would have worked so successfully for our family.”
Digging down to construct this new addition on the confined site would prove no mean feat of engineering either. But the story behind this project began a year or so prior, when the couple began scouring suburban Oxford with a view to being close to their children’s school. In the closing months of 2010, the cou-ple had made an offer. The seller was a developer who’d purchased a handful of buildings from the University, and in doing so, applied for and successfully obtained planning permission to return this tired property back into a family home. The plans also included extending the semi-basement outwards to form a stunning flat-roofed, contemporary addition to the rear.
Words:
claire lloyd
PhoTograPhy:
simon
maxwell
Homess
renovation & extension | oxford | sep 11 - 12 | size: 340m2 House cost: £2,350,000 | project cost: £1,400,000 | value: £4,500,000
A handsome building from the exterior, the interiors were a rabbit warren of small, pokey rooms. “The property had been divided up into student bedrooms,” explains Jeanne. “Climbing the stairs to the second floor – where the children’s bedrooms are now located – was really quite eerie, too; the property seriously lacked natural light.” Having enjoyed the challenge of undertaking works to previous houses, including their former home in Fulham, Jeanne was keen to take on this sizable project.
However, with that all-important children’s hangout distinctly absent, the family took the decision to approach Riarch Architects — the practice who’d successfully
achieved planning permission for the extension. “I did worry that we wouldn’t be able to do what we wanted here,” reflects Jeanne, “but the local planners seemed to like Riarch’s work.” Not only were the revised plans complete with the basement (which is invisible from the exterior) duly approved, but what resulted was a fruitful partnership with the highly regarded local practice.
Six months were dedicated to resub-mitting for planning for the basement, to tailoring the existing floorplans to suit the family’s requirements, and to preparing a thorough and detailed speci-fication, together with project architect Kieron Roberts. “I thought long and hard about how the spaces would work for us as a family, even planning out where furniture would sit and in turn, where sockets would be needed for lamps,” says Jeanne.
“I wanted a ‘great room’ in the main house too,” she continues. To create this space, two ground floor reception rooms would be opened up (with structural
Before
78 Homebuilding & Renovating Homebuilding & Renovating 79
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“I thought long and hard about how the spaces would work for us as a family”
Open Plan Livingthe open plan kitchen, dining and living area opens directly out to a sunken patio via Sky-Frame doors. the glazed balustrading (right of shot) reveals the entrance to the basement; a rooflight above drops natural light down the stairwell
80 Homebuilding & Renovating Homebuilding & Renovating 81
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ground floor
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steelwork inserted and carefully concealed). This room now provides formal dining to one end with a sitting area and Jeanne’s office space to the other — natural light comes pouring in from sash windows at both ends.
Other changes to the floorplan included creating a generous first floor master bedroom with dressing area and bathroom, while the second floor bedrooms would be opened up vertically to the eaves to dynamic effect — creating the illusion of space and volume.
The final piece of the partnership was the main contractor, Sporn Construction. “We prepared a really detailed tender document and sent it out to a number of contractors in the area. What we received back from Sporn Construction was a really large pack, including a 52-week schedule detailing the work which would be completed at the end of each week. We were blown away by it,” smiles Jeanne.
True to their word, Sporn Construction delivered the project on time and on budget, with only a few weeks’ overrun — the result of bad weather.
The renovation of the existing house proved relatively straightforward compared to the works required for the new extension and basement (more on page 86). Original features – such as the elegant cornicing – were restored or carefully crafted alternatives were made. “The staircase was handcrafted by craftsmen of the time and was really worth saving,” says Jeanne. “We stripped back layers of varnish and paint added over the years. A good number of the spindles were missing, so a local joiner crafted new spindles to match the existing; they’re so good I can’t tell the new from old now.”
Playing the role of the ideal client certainly helped the process along. “Undertaking a project like this is about learning when to stick with a decision,” says Jeanne. “Once the project was underway, I only made changes
lighting – both natural and artificial – plays a significant role in
this project. introducing natural light to the dark second floor of
the existing house was a priority. opening up a section of ceiling
right to the eaves and introducing a large rooflight directly
above the staircase provided the solution. (this conservation
rooflight from the Rooflight Company sits flush with the roof
plane.) it can be electronically opened at the touch of a button,
bringing the incidental benefit of ventilation, too. “in the summer,
we open it up and it cools the house down,” says Jeanne.
Rooflights also feature in the contemporary extension. “We
went back to the planners to ask for a minor amendment
to increase the size of the rooflights here; this allowed us to
maximise daylight reaching the basement level below,” Jeanne
explains. a brise soleil within the zinc roof overhang (above) also
allows further light to filter through to the basement.
if there’s one thing that lingers in the mind after visiting the
house (the striking contemporary extension aside) it’s the array
of beautiful light fittings. “i have a slight mania for lighting,”
smiles Jeanne, whose dedication to sourcing fittings has paid
off. “i wanted a pendant light above the bath, but struggled to
find one with a high enough iP rating [required in areas exposed
to water and high humidity levels]. i eventually came across the
Fatboy RockCoco chandelier which is rated for outdoor use.”
energy efficiency was also a priority. “We invested in quality
led downlights throughout the house,” explains Jeanne. “they’re
great as you don’t want to be constantly telling the children to
turn the lights off when leaving a room, and they’re so long-
lasting we haven’t had to replace any as yet.”
a lighT-Filled home
s
The Basement the basement features emperor-size beds
which offer somewhere to lie back while watching a film — they also come in handy
during sleepovers. the most striking feature is the vibrant mural. “i wanted
something colourful and fun here to brighten up the basement,” says Jeanne, who commissioned an ibizan street artist
to create it. Polished concrete flooring provides a practical but sleek finish
The Kitchenthe kitchen was designed alongside Kitchen Co-ordination and features Rationel
kitchen units and high-end gaggenau appliances. the kitchen sits within the old semi-basement and as such, is on a higher level to the rest of the open plan dining/sitting area — it was originally divided into two separate rooms too and has been opened up thanks to the addition of concealed steelwork. the stone
flooring from indigenous provides a sense of cohesion throughout the space
82 Homebuilding & Renovating Homebuilding & Renovating 83
The ‘Great’ Roomtom dixon copper shades hang majestically over the formal dining
table, casting a soft, ambient glow for evening supper. “i chose
furniture with a traditional form for this room to complement
the period of the house,” explains Jeanne, who also chose a soft
palette of grey from Farrow & ball for the walls for the same
reason. much of the original cornicing had been removed or was
damaged, and so new cornicing was crafted to match the old. the
bold splashes of colour bring this room right up to date
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Homebuilding & Renovating 85
if something looked wrong. For example, the opening between the living room and hall felt far too low and oppressive, so we opened it right up.” The new opening now brings necessary grandeur to this room of lofty Victorian proportions.
“I’m really interested in what goes on behind the scenes too and introducing high levels of insulation and soundproofing were important,” says Jeanne. With a U value of 0.26, the existing walls now meet current Building Regulations for new builds. The sustainable picture doesn’t end there, as the Flynn’s also specified electricity-producing solar PV; the panels were carefully concealed on a roof pitch, barely visible from the ground.
“It’s also about knowing what decisions are cost-effec-tive — where to spend and where to save,” adds Jeanne. “There was suggestion that the kitchen floor could be lowered; this would have cost an additional £12,000. I thought it over, but in the end felt it was a cost which we wouldn’t necessarily see a return for.” This proved a wise decision; the step between the kitchen and dining/living area provides visual definition between the spaces.
“For my children to say ‘I love this house’ – even teenagers who you wouldn’t expect to notice – is really satisfying,” says Jeanne. It’s no doubt that her lucky teen-agers have the ‘coolest’ house in the neighbourhood. n
Master En SuiteJeanne
purchased all
the sanitaryware
from CP Hart;
this simplified
the specification
process as well
as allowing for
a discount. the
Fatboy RockCoco
chandelier – a
contemporary
reworking of a
traditional form
– is iP rated for
outdoor use, so
was ideal for
use above the
freestanding bath
What I’ve Learnedwhat was your best buy?
it has to be the Sky-Frame
sliding door system. it was
expensive, but you can stand
next to the doors on a winter’s
day and there’s not even a
slightest hint of a draught.
despite being large doors,
they’re so easy to use that my
10-year-old daughter is able to open, close and
lock the doors without any trouble at all; that’s
when you know they’re well made.
what was your biggest bargain?
it has to be the chandelier in the living/formal
dining room. i knew i wanted a large focal light in
this room and when i worked past this chandelier
in a shop window in Fulham, i thought it was
perfect. i went in thinking it may be at least a
couple of thousand, but when the sales assistant
said it was £1,200 i bought it there and then.
what advice would you pass on to others?
Plan, plan and plan again. the horror stories
you hear about on some projects often happen
because the homeowner is anxious to get going
without thorough planning. You may take six
months to plan a project, but it’s often the case
that you finish at the same time as someone
who hasn’t because there’s no overruns on site.
once you’ve made a decision, it’s also important
to stick with it unless it doesn’t look as planned;
there’s always another option, but once you start
changing things the budget starts to slip.
i’d also recommend mentally moving in your
furniture. this way you can establish where you
want your lights and whether you’ll need floor
sockets to add lamps, for example, rather than
trailing wires across the floor.
architect riarch architects ....................................... 01865 553772
main contractor sporn Construction ..................... 01869 277222
portland stone supply and fit harristone .........01480 404445
zinc VmZinc ......................................................................... vmzinc.co.uk
sedum Bauder .....................................................................01473 257671
glass doors (extension) sky-frame..................................xxxxxxxx
windows (extension) Velfac ..................................... 01223 897100
conservation rooflight The rooflight Company ...........................
....................................................................................................01993 833155
Bespoke glazing oxford glass ................................ 01865 242450
feature lighting Foscarini .......................................... foscarini.com
elemental ..................................................................... elemental.uk.com
led downlights Photonstar .......................................02381 230381
stone and timber flooring indigenous ................01993 824200
micro-concrete flooring Concreations ............020 8408 3000
pocket doors eclisse ......................................................01476 565497
paint Farrow and Ball.......................................................01202 876141
sanitaryware supply CP hart ....................................... cphart.co.uk
Kitchen Kitchen Co-ordination..............................020 8958 6262
Jeanne & Tim’s Supplies
Homess
86 Homebuilding & Renovating
Floorplansthis five storey property features open plan living space on the new lower ground floor. the kitchen steps down to a dining and sitting area; there’s also a staircase leading to the large basement below (not shown here), which is home to gym equipment, a pool table and cinema area together with a separate WC. the original property has been restored to its former glory; on the ground floor, the reception rooms have been opened up to create one large open plan living/formal dining room. the first floor features a large master bedroom suite (above), with further bedrooms on the second floor
achieving planning permission for new additions to homes within
Conservation areas, as here, requires clever and sympathetic
design. “a new addition here needed to sit below the line of the
neighbouring wall. this in turn informed the flat roof and the
contemporary design,” explains Riarch architects’ Kieron Roberts.
“We also aimed to create an extension which differentiates from
the historic, but still had a relationship with the victorian house.”
among the most ingenious features is the sedum roof which
softens the aspect and offers attractive views from the ground
floor rooms. “Zinc detailing was introduced at the eaves as a
practical solution for tying in the sedum roof with the stone-clad
walls,” adds Kieron Roberts, “while the roof overhang protects the
Portland stone from rain and from algae subsequently forming.”
building both this addition and the basement below proved to
be a feat of engineering. “logistically, the site posed a couple of
challenges,” says Sporn Constructions’ Robin Sporn. “not only is
access restricted, but for the scale of work undertaken here, it’s a
small site, meaning we were limited on the plant which we could
bring in.” mini diggers were used for much of the excavation work.
Piled foundations were required too. “We’d have ideally built
a secant piled wall,” says Robin, “which would have provided a
degree of waterproofing straightaway. but due to the nature of
the site, a contiguous piled wall was instead required. (the former
improves watertightness.) the basement is approximately 5m
deep, while the water table is at around 3m; once we hit 3m we
constantly had to ‘dewater’ the site,” he says.
a concrete-reinforced slab (which forms the lower ground floor)
was then introduced; this served to hold the piled foundations in
place while the lower basement level was dug out beneath.
Some 635m3 of spoil was moved from the site. With the front
garden providing limited space, the skip hire provider visited the
site a couple of times a day to remove the eagerly filled skips.
Building ouTWards & under
second floor
first floor
ground floor
bed room
bed room
bath
bed room
master bedroom
dr
es
sin
g
office
dining
hall
sitting
dining
kitchen
wc
laundry
sitting
bedroom
lower ground floor
bedroom