Wedge House
A small ‘wedge’ extension that makes the most of views into the garden.
The clients came to us having recently purchased this five bedroom detached house in Sevenoaks. They wanted to transform it into a contemporary family home suitable for modern living. They were also interested in making the house more sustainable in terms of it’s energy consumption and generation. We undertook a feasibility study looking at the whole house to explore all the options for achieving these aspirations.
The agreed solution was to remodel the ground floor to form a more open/informal layout, and extend the kitchen to create a large social space with a strong connection to the garden. We also converted the garage into an independently accessed bedroom/annex, future proofing for an elderly relative.
The house sits diagonally to the site and currently had limited views of the beautiful garden beyond. The wedge-shaped extension now means the kitchen space is reorientated, creating views across the length of the garden, whilst also framing an intimate seating area on the terrace. Large sliding doors and stone tiling in the kitchen and terrace area will blur the boundary between the inside and outside spaces.
Proposed Plan
Proposed Elevation
“Very happy with the work of Sharpe Architecture. Frances saw our project through from concept, detailed design, construction to completion. Built a good working relationship with the main builder but also pushed back when construction was not as planned or expected. She also maintained the integrity of the initial design even though changes were necessarily made as we came upon unforeseen issues. Overall 10/10”
- Wedge House Client, 2020
In terms of sustainability we undertook a study of the existing thermal levels and worked out where these needed improving with more insulation. The new extension is constructed from a light weight timber frame and cladding. The roof of the extension is a low maintenance sedum green roof which attracts wildlife and changes colour for visual interest throughout the year. We also installed photovoltaic panels to start generating their own energy and a water conditioner.
The project was completed in Summer 2020.
