victorian house renovation, highmoor
the house was built in 1859 for the parish vicar, with a connected school hall where local children were taught. our clients had a tired but spacious eight-bedroom house and wanted a comfortable modern home with five suites, room for family and space for friends visiting from abroad.
after testing several options, we flipped the house, moving the kitchen and staircase so the social rooms sit together and face the garden. a new basement was dug by hand. with the clients away for much of the build, decisions were made over video calls and recorded site walk-rounds.
“an eclectic look with some wow factors is what we had in mind… loving it all!”
03
a clear addition
a wider route to the living room was needed, and how to make it was debated at length. the answer was a frameless glass link, which gives the new space without competing with the old walls. it lets the original building remain the main event.
02
breathing walls
the flint and brickwork were cleaned and repointed in lime mortar (a soft, breathable mortar that lets moisture escape, unlike modern cement). the walls look as they were meant to, and they perform as they were meant to.
01
a new heart
moving the staircase was the key move. it opened up the house's stone arched windows, drew light into the centre of the plan and connected the main family rooms, so the house now works around one generous heart instead of a series of corridors.
