Ermine Lodge

The brief

A new family home within the grounds of the existing house, to provide a secure and easily maintainable building for the future years

The solution

The existing house was in need of some attention, wasn’t particularly energy efficient and required ongoing maintenance. Our Clients wanted to construct a new home that would suit their needs throughout their retirement years. They wanted a new modern family home, which would be energy efficient and have less need for ongoing maintenance. The home also needed to be child friendly, to ensure a safe environment for their grandchildren.

A number of site parameters largely influenced the mass, position and shape of the new home. Access, overlooking, trees, services; all needed to be considered along with the sun path presenting a number of overheating issues that needed to be addressed. The outcome is a low maintenance, highly energy efficient family home, with plenty of solar shading – but a light and bright interior that serves the owners perfectly.

The walls of the house sit snugly under the overhanging roof – taking inspiration from the log cabins of Scandinavia, whilst the dominant aluminium portal dormer windows add deep reveals to the upper floor windows in a modern and distinct appearance allowing plenty of light, but essential solar shading.

The walls are thick allowing for an increased level of insulation over and above the standards required. An air source heat pump provides the heating and hot water, whilst the solar panels along the rear facing roof generate electricity, giving this building some serious eco-credentials.