The original garden was steep and very tight for space which made the property feel quite dark, so the build for the new two storey extension involved digging down to five metres in tight conditions to make the best use of the space, creating an office, store and shower room under the new drive area.

The existing ground floor kitchen was opened up into the new living space to create a huge kitchen and dining area with bifold doors to the landscaped garden. The first floor entrance and parking area is located directly above and leads to an entrance hall and stairs with a fabulous first floor roof decking to catch the sun and enjoy the stunning views. A new garage was also incorporated into the build.

We drilled test holes to identify voids during our investigative work which led to a full dig below the footprint to remove all risks, excavating underneath the coal seam to clear out any possible mines. Eleven tunnels were discovered dating back to around 1860. Interestingly the coal, which was around 70 million years old, was formed near to the equator.

We excavated before constructing a raft foundation for the new house to sit on. Above ground, the architectural details on this build are superb - large glazed openings work beautifully with the old, local reclaimed stone and stone detailing which was dressed on site using traditional methods.

To begin, the house was stripped back to its shell and then multiple extensions were added to increase the overall floorspace, sympathetically matching the stonework and using new self cleaning render. Timber framed hand painted windows give this property a superb finish, complemented with landscaping work to the front and rear.

To begin, we stripped back to stone and started again with new wiring, under floor heating, insulation covered with a specialist textured plaster finish to give this house new life whilst taking great care to preserve the original detailing such as the beams and stonework. With all original features restored, this property has all the benefits of a new build yet is packed with character.