Gothic House - extension and alteration, Bothwell

The existing 1 1/2 – 2 storey house is located in the Bothwell Conservation Area and has red sandstone walls with distinctive very-steeply sloping slated roofs and decorative painted timber bargeboards.It is a good example of a detached Victorian villa with a T- shaped plan in the gothic revival style and is set in woodland gardens at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. The house has been extended previously with a double garage to the north east side abutting a single storey addition (having a lean- to roof) at the gable of the house. A driveway leads to the front door at the re- entrant corner of the front façade whilst, to the rear, the gardens are more extensive and includes a number of mature trees. A white pvc framed conservatory has been added at the rear south west also.

Whilst relatively hidden to the rear, both the proposed sun room and dining room bay window are subservient to the original building, taken individually and when considered together. The pitches of the proposed roof forms are related to the ‘host’ building and the proposed materials are consistent with the original house. In particular the dining room/ rear porch extension would be swept round to align with the existing (later) garages and to avoid competing with the existing canted bay. The new sun room roof angles relate to the steep pitch of the existing house gable and the angle formed by the stepping 3- light window to the staircase. At present this window has a slightly awkward relationship to the conservatory to be removed.

On the front elevation facing Holmston Avenue, the composition of the roofs will be improved over the existing by the construction of a one and a half storey extension and a double- pitched roof to replace the existing lean to. The latter is presently a little incongruous being sandwiched between the main gable and the double roofs of the garage. This would form a better junction to the main house gable and, by keeping the new ridge in alignment but below the main ridge, the roofs will step down towards the garage. The new portion of the front façade would be rendered to clearly defer to the sandstone used for the original house.

The combination of the two relatively discrete extensions enables a simple reorganisation of the internal rooms in a clear way that suits the current and future needs of the family. The two extensions would harmonise in terms of materials and would balance visually around the centre of the rear of the existing house, the focal point.

Client: Private

Budget: £250k

Status: due on site summer 2006