CCA1341 / The Street, Brooke

Set back deeply within its garden plot the existing bungalow, dating back to the 1950s, was in much need of modernisation.

The client’s brief for the project was to utilise as much of the existing building as possible but to change the size and aesthetic.

Our solution was to propose a rear and side extension and to extend vertically to create ‘room-in-roof’ accommodation.

The constraints of this residential development in Brooke were fleshed out during Pre-Application discussions with the South Norfolk Planning Department, where it became apparent that moving forward of the existing building line or extending to either side or significantly vertically would not be welcomed.

We were clear with the planners that our intent would be contemporary in style and resisted suggestions that the building should ‘appear’ more traditional in nature. 

Our proposals limited the height of the building to the adjacent Listed thatch cottage and subdivide the roof into 3 segments to reduce the apparent mass. A major contention was proposing a forward-facing gable-ended roof form. From our perspective, this made functional sense and we were able to convince the planners that ultimately this was the right solution.