Ashton Keynes

Despite its location in the beautiful village of Ashton Keynes, this rundown house had not been a hit with buyers, largely due to its impractical layout and unsightly rendered facade. A set of near vertical stairs (nicknamed the ‘death stairs’), greeted you by the front door, creating very tricky living arrangements, as most rooms were through rooms. There was also a two storey annex to the side of the property, accessed via a tired, old conservatory and a courtyard garden – detaching it from the main house in every sense of the word. However, where others saw problems, our musician client saw the potential to realise his unique vision. With his grown-up children having fled the nest, he wanted to create a series of individual, yet unified spaces to inspire creativity. Somewhere for him and his partner to live in harmony, and also for them and their friends to express themselves musically. We began by moving the stairs to the back of the property. This instantly changed the flow of the home, inviting visitors inside and transforming upstairs into a more private space. We then installed a flat zinc roof and sliding patio doors to attach the annexe to the property and help connect the house to the garden. Because the annexe had not been built perpendicular to the main house, we embraced the challenge by playing with geometry of the roof and walls to smooth the visual connection between the two buildings. To finish things off, we created a super-low-energy home by adding insulation, an air source heat pump and solar panels, and using doors to cordon off the parts of the house that weren’t in constant use. The end result? A unique home that hit all the marks.