The Site and Existing Building
The site is set near to Llysyfran Reservoir and from the first floor has distant views of the Preseli Mountains. The building was originally a small stone cosy croft cottage but had over the years been extended upwards and to the side creating a rather odd home with two staircases and a series of small, dis-proportioned rooms. The external aspect had also been altered by what was considered fashionable at the time, such as stone cladding to the external walls, decorative canopy roofs to the ground floor windows, inappropriate extensions, leaded light PVC-U wood effect windows and a plastic conservatory.
The Brief and Design
The original brief was to upgrade and replan the dwelling to create similar sized rooms with 3 bedrooms. To maximise the site’s potential, a first floor lounge was incorporated into the design. During our appointment as Architects, a change in the rate of VAT made it more desirable to change the project to a replacement dwelling. The original design needed little alteration to comply with Code for Sustainable Homes.