Farmhouse extension

This is a site full of history, on a narrow laneway and well away from public roads. There is a two-storey farmhouse and several stone outbuildings in various states of repair. The house and outbuildings remind of an earlier time when this would have been a busy, working farm, and it’s easy to imagine the different activities that would have taken place here as the seasons changed every year.

Our clients have asked us to extend the house to add in a new living area. This is a site on which the buildings have evolved in response to need and changing purpose. We were keen to acknowledge the existing buildings but also to provide an extension suitable for contemporary life.

The extension closes the gap between the farmhouse and outbuildings and affords the opportunity to relocate the front door, creating a focal point for the approach along the laneway. Closing the gap creates an irregular floor plan shape, in contrast with the rectangular shape of the existing buildings. In addition, the extension encloses and defines the street in front of the house.

The roof over the single-storey extension sweeps upwards over the main outbuilding and extends to give shade from high summer sun.

Disused stone from old buildings onsite have been recycled into the extension, both inside and outside to strengthen the tie to the past and to help bed the extension into the fabric of the site.

Extensive glazing, level thresholds, and large doors allow space to flow between inside and outside and take full advantage of both near and far views.