Listed cottage extended and refurbished for modern living
Working to the vision of architect and Barr Build client Brian Tracey, through four separate build phases, the team feel intrinsically invested in the South Cottage structural journey.
This quintessential Oxfordshire village property has been much altered over time, by way of extensions and other alterations. With its origins in the 18th century, South Cottage started life as a diminutive stone-built thatched cottage.
Sadly, over the following two centuries, the oldest part of the cottage was essentially stripped, including windows, doors, staircase and fireplace, leaving only the walls and roof structure as its original fabric. These elements are now protected under a Grade II listing. Since then, all recent works have been carefully planned and orchestrated by Brian and his wife Julie, to preserve and enhance the integrity of this special residence.
The structural journey of South Cottage is possibly best told in pictures. Its gradual transformation from a small poorly insulated thatched cottage to an enlarged, comfortable modern residence, whilst staying true to its heritage, was no mean feat.
The first intervention was a seamless extension of the existing 1980s wing of the property. Proportions were determined by planning recommendations to replicate the spacing of its existing dormer windows. From the front, the gable was simply ‘drawn out’ by another few metres, using matched render and plain clay tile materials so that the finished gable would be barely distinguishable from its previous incarnation. Downstairs the extension would create an entrance lobby, for removing outerwear and muddy boots before entering the kitchen and a large utility room space. On the upper floor, the main bedroom was made more spacious, with the capacity for a full bank of built-in wardrobes (made to measure by Barr Joinery in book-matched walnut).
Soon after came a more dramatic intervention. As described in The Telegraph property pages, “… when architect Brian Tracey and his wife Julie decided to extend their chocolate-box listed home in Oxfordshire, they initially went down the route of a traditional extension, in keeping with the look and feel of the original property.”
“We went through the preplanning process and interestingly, the planners were quite negative about our initial traditional design,” says Brian. “The property had already been extended, in the 1980s, and the planners felt that another traditional extension would overwhelm the original structure.” In response, Brian designed something much more radical. The resulting oval-shaped glazed garden room (constructed by Barr Build) is dramatically different from the rest of the cottage. Fully glazed, so as not to block the view across the garden of the oldest thatched section, and distinct from the original cottage, it got the thumbs up from South Oxfordshire planning.
“As an architect, I always had an ambition to create an architectural statement. I was fortunate that the planning officer encouraged this radical alternative to a traditional extension.”
Two years later, Brian started on plans to make best use of the property’s 1980s garaging, built in the style of the modern extension, and added at around the same time. By adding a single garage structure to one side, and extending across the existing roofline, the upper storey of the garage would form one large studio room. This would leave ample space downstairs for a pilates studio, home gym, WC, bike store, and garage.
In the latest build stage, Brian addressed the futureproofing of the oldest part of the property. His aim was to create a comfortable useable space, whilst preserving and enhancing original fabric. Carried out in line with Historic England guidelines, the key was to achieve significant heat loss reduction and damp prevention by means of a limecrete base and a natural fibre wall lining system. The wood fibre STEICO system used offered a vapour-permeable solution which, unlike alternative options, could be removed in the future without harm to the existing rubble wall, and would biodegrade, aligning with whole-life low-carbon requirements. The breathable limecrete floor base would protect against damp and support a heritage-approved underfloor heating system.
In addition, the entranceway was reinstated to its original location and the listed chimney breast was restored. Made-to-measure underlit walnut cabinetry and heritage-matched French doors were installed. The pièce de résistance, however, is a stunning bespoke oak staircase, with a fine oak ‘triply’ stepped underside (in place of a modern replacement version – the original having been removed decades earlier).
Each of the work phases at South Cottage was carried out by the Barr Build team on a cost-plus basis. “The ‘time and materials’ model enabled Barr Build to commence more quickly with the works,” says Brian. “It allows a construction company to take on projects they wouldn’t otherwise, by negating the risks of things like materials costs rising. It also enables client flexibility of specification throughout the project. For me, the build experience of each work phase was very positive.”
“The Barr Build team understood that, as an architect, I had a clear vision of the end product and that every detail was significant in the vision.”
We thank Brian and Julie for letting us share the South Cottage story, and look forward to its next sympathetic and beautifully planned intervention.