At the start of this project, Linnel Hill was a traditional two-storey Northumbrian farmhouse. It had little insulation, draughty windows, an old oil boiler and a leaking conservatory. The brief was, by extension and renovation, to transform it into a home suited to twenty-first century living for a young family. The principle requirements were for a large day-to-day living space incorporating kitchen and dining, and a master bedroom suite, together with four further bedrooms.
Joplings Head of Architecture, Dan Gracey, has transformed the house by adding a large contemporary extension, converting the roof space and re-configuring the staircase, and providing a glazed link between new and old. These are harmoniously combined by the use of form and materials to provide a low energy design which is, at the same time, light, spacious and elegant. A glass link accommodates a gallery landing between the original house and the master suite. This provides the opportunity for an airy workspace looking out over a courtyard. It provides a fluid connection between the kitchen and dining areas and the rest of the house and gives the opportunity for the spaces to be flooded with light.
The project has been shortlisted in the prestigious RICS North East Renaissance Awards. Winners will be announced at an Oscars-style ceremony at Newcastle Civic Centre on 19th April 2013, hosted by TV’s Restoration Man, George Clarke.
