Bindloss Dawes adds chestnut-clad extension to old Somerset schoolhouse
Local studio Bindloss Dawes has completed the transformation of Old School House, a Grade II-listed house in Somerset that has been refreshed with a contemporary timber extension.
Nestled within a valley in Pitcombe, the timber extension adds a modern twist to the 19th-century home while echoing its traditional pitched form.
The original building was built in 1864 as a local village school before being converted to a home in the 1940s. Bindloss Dawes's extension replaces another from the 1970s.
"The main adaptations to the existing building were concerned with resolving the consequences of the demolition of the 1970s extension,” studio co-founder George Dawes told Dezeen.
"This involved some repair work to stonework, refinishing of external surfaces and generally revealing parts of the original building that had been covered over by later extensions.”
To complement the existing building, the extension by Bindloss Dawes features a matching pitched roof and is clad in silver-toned timber arranged in alternating directions.
"It was critical for us that the building sat comfortably next to the listed property and within the valley and this is why we were informed by the design of the original school house,” said Dawes.
"And yet upon closer inspection, the building is carefully detailed and unmistakably contemporary in its execution."
Selected for their stone-like silver tone after weathering, battens of English sweet chestnut vertically line the roof and first floor. Wider boards arranged horizontally clad the lower half of the exterior.
Between the extension and the original building, the studio added glazed volume with a galvanised steel frame, designed as a garden room with views of the surrounding valley.
"We wanted to use steel as it allows a thin glazing frame, and we really like the finish of patinated galvanised steel, which is dark and has a natural, uneven quality,” Dawes explained.
"Like the rest of the building, it was always intended that the finishes would weather and change over time, and the patinated galvanised steel has a weathered quality that we really like.”
Inside, both levels of the extension are accessed by a staircase to the side of the glazed garden room, made from rough-sawn chestnut chosen to reference the external cladding.
An additional sequence of steps leads down to the ground floor, which is set at a slightly dipped level. Here, a bright corridor offers access to two ensuite bedrooms.
The bedrooms and bathrooms feature bold colours and artwork. Deep blue walls and turquoise ceilings are found in the bedrooms, while the bathroom is decorated with playful colour blocks of green and pink.
The upper floor of the extension holds the main bedroom suite, which has large windows to provide panoramic views of the valley.
In contrast to the boldly coloured spaces downstairs, the main bedroom is filled with neutral tones and topped by a white-painted pitched ceiling lined with beams.
The interior of the existing building, which is accessed from the other side of the garden room, incorporates a large double-height living room and kitchen, as well as an entrance hall, bathroom, utility room and pantry.
While the original portion of the listed property was left largely untouched, stonework was repaired and historic features have been uncovered.
Around the exposed original walls and celebrated historic features in each space are contemporary elements including bright chairs, modern flooring and a selection of artwork curated by the owners.
Other residential extensions recently featured on Dezeen include a Belgian bungalow that has been refreshed with red timber cladding and a tiered addition to an early 1900s New York apartment building.
The photography is by Francesca Ióvene.
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