We were contacted by Mr and Mrs Fernlea asking if we would be interested in building their house, Fell End Cottage. When I first visited the existing property I found the cottage to be old, with lots of add ons and in reality not fit for modern day living in respect of insulation, room sizes and functionality .

Although it fitted into its surroundings, an ancient woodland at the end of Cul De Sac lane. It soon became apparent that the house was to be raised to the ground and rebuilt using modern construction techniques becoming functional, well insulated with low running cost and a look that would emanate the original cottage but also include a modern contemporary wing that would give great living space and a wow factor on viewing.

We had a design from the architect and a specification to follow . Not soon after , the architect left the project with an incomplete set of drawings and specifications. This left us to work directly with the client with a mission to complete the project. At this stage we were barely out of the ground. The greatest challenge was the access and the ground make up. The lane leading to the site was no wider than my transit van which made deliveries a logistical challenge along with dealing with limestone bedrock showing its face all over the site. The steel structures designed by the engineers also created a problem due to their size and it was clear that a crane would be needed to erect them into position. With the great skill of a crane driver, an all wheel steer crane, we managed to get the crane on site with millimetres to spare on each side.

The house itself was split levels with the cottage being lower than the contemporary section and of a single storey giving the impression of renovated cottage rather than a replacement. The two story contemporary section was tucked in behind the cottage and could only be seen from further up the
lane, lending to a magnificent surprise. The cottage was dashed in white sand and cement, whilst the contemporary section was a mixture of Siberian larch coloured green with a charred effect along with a limestone lower section blending into the large pockets of exposed limestone bedrock. The house inside was open, spacious and modern. With underfloor heating throughout, a commissioned steel staircase led up to the master bedroom which boasted a large window from floor to ceiling which carried on into the roof giving a seamless picture window allowing you to take in the garden, the woodland and the sky from your bed.

The lounge at the far end was greeted with a large window that seamlessly met with the floor giving a view over the decorative pond and garden beyond.The ceiling in this room was high and vaulted and gave the feeling of the outside world with inside comforts. Outside the property was an exercise pool built in to the porcelain patio, heated by an air source heat pump., The patio was vast with unspoilt views to the garden and woodlands surrounding the house, yet protection from the elements was provided by a brie soleil supported by stone pillars and clad in large on the outside and white boarding on the inside. In all this project was challenging in many ways but the end product speaks for itself.