Homebuilding & Renovating 77

Jeanne and Tim Flynn’s elegantly restored Victorian home captures

the best of both worlds — thanks to an ingeniously designed double

basement which provides space for contemporary living

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Hidden Depths

76 homebuilding.co.uk$

Creating a home which is a haven for children and parents alike is no mean feat. But if ever a project achieved both in an effortlessly stylish fashion, then it’s the home of Jeanne and Tim Flynn,

and their four children, 15-year-old Jack, Chase, 13, Zoe, 12, and 10-year-old Grace (pictured below). The Flynns’ gloriously restored Victorian property in a leafy Oxford Conservation Area, not only benefits from a contemporary addition containing an open plan kitchen, dining and living space, but the new basement below is arguably the ultimate venue for sleepovers.

“In America, the basement is tradi-tionally a space dedicated for children and teenagers to hangout in the winter,” says Jeanne, who grew up in Miami but moved to London in 1996 with husband Tim, an Arizonian. “Without our base-ment, I don’t think this house would have worked so successfully for our family.”

Digging down to construct this new addition on the confined site would prove no mean feat of engineering either. But the story behind this project began a year or so prior, when the couple began scouring suburban Oxford with a view to being close to their children’s school. In the closing months of 2010, the cou-ple had made an offer. The seller was a developer who’d purchased a handful of buildings from the University, and in doing so, applied for and successfully obtained planning permission to return this tired property back into a family home. The plans also included extending the semi-basement outwards to form a stunning flat-roofed, contemporary addition to the rear.

Words:

claire lloyd

PhoTograPhy:

simon

maxwell

Homess

renovation & extension | oxford | sep 11 - 12 | size: 340m2 House cost: £2,350,000 | project cost: £1,400,000 | value: £4,500,000

A handsome building from the exterior, the interiors were a rabbit warren of small, pokey rooms. “The property had been divided up into student bedrooms,” explains Jeanne. “Climbing the stairs to the second floor – where the children’s bedrooms are now located – was really quite eerie, too; the property seriously lacked natural light.” Having enjoyed the challenge of undertaking works to previous houses, including their former home in Fulham, Jeanne was keen to take on this sizable project.

However, with that all-important children’s hangout distinctly absent, the family took the decision to approach Riarch Architects — the practice who’d successfully

achieved planning permission for the extension. “I did worry that we wouldn’t be able to do what we wanted here,” reflects Jeanne, “but the local planners seemed to like Riarch’s work.” Not only were the revised plans complete with the basement (which is invisible from the exterior) duly approved, but what resulted was a fruitful partnership with the highly regarded local practice.

Six months were dedicated to resub-mitting for planning for the basement, to tailoring the existing floorplans to suit the family’s requirements, and to preparing a thorough and detailed speci-fication, together with project architect Kieron Roberts. “I thought long and hard about how the spaces would work for us as a family, even planning out where furniture would sit and in turn, where sockets would be needed for lamps,” says Jeanne.

“I wanted a ‘great room’ in the main house too,” she continues. To create this space, two ground floor reception rooms would be opened up (with structural

Before

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“I thought long and hard about how the spaces would work for us as a family”

Open Plan Livingthe open plan kitchen, dining and living area opens directly out to a sunken patio via Sky-Frame doors. the glazed balustrading (right of shot) reveals the entrance to the basement; a rooflight above drops natural light down the stairwell

80 Homebuilding & Renovating Homebuilding & Renovating 81

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ground floor

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steelwork inserted and carefully concealed). This room now provides formal dining to one end with a sitting area and Jeanne’s office space to the other — natural light comes pouring in from sash windows at both ends.

Other changes to the floorplan included creating a generous first floor master bedroom with dressing area and bathroom, while the second floor bedrooms would be opened up vertically to the eaves to dynamic effect — creating the illusion of space and volume.

The final piece of the partnership was the main contractor, Sporn Construction. “We prepared a really detailed tender document and sent it out to a number of contractors in the area. What we received back from Sporn Construction was a really large pack, including a 52-week schedule detailing the work which would be completed at the end of each week. We were blown away by it,” smiles Jeanne.

True to their word, Sporn Construction delivered the project on time and on budget, with only a few weeks’ overrun — the result of bad weather.

The renovation of the existing house proved relatively straightforward compared to the works required for the new extension and basement (more on page 86). Original features – such as the elegant cornicing – were restored or carefully crafted alternatives were made. “The staircase was handcrafted by craftsmen of the time and was really worth saving,” says Jeanne. “We stripped back layers of varnish and paint added over the years. A good number of the spindles were missing, so a local joiner crafted new spindles to match the existing; they’re so good I can’t tell the new from old now.”

Playing the role of the ideal client certainly helped the process along. “Undertaking a project like this is about learning when to stick with a decision,” says Jeanne. “Once the project was underway, I only made changes

lighting – both natural and artificial – plays a significant role in

this project. introducing natural light to the dark second floor of

the existing house was a priority. opening up a section of ceiling

right to the eaves and introducing a large rooflight directly

above the staircase provided the solution. (this conservation

rooflight from the Rooflight Company sits flush with the roof

plane.) it can be electronically opened at the touch of a button,

bringing the incidental benefit of ventilation, too. “in the summer,

we open it up and it cools the house down,” says Jeanne.

Rooflights also feature in the contemporary extension. “We

went back to the planners to ask for a minor amendment

to increase the size of the rooflights here; this allowed us to

maximise daylight reaching the basement level below,” Jeanne

explains. a brise soleil within the zinc roof overhang (above) also

allows further light to filter through to the basement.

if there’s one thing that lingers in the mind after visiting the

house (the striking contemporary extension aside) it’s the array

of beautiful light fittings. “i have a slight mania for lighting,”

smiles Jeanne, whose dedication to sourcing fittings has paid

off. “i wanted a pendant light above the bath, but struggled to

find one with a high enough iP rating [required in areas exposed

to water and high humidity levels]. i eventually came across the

Fatboy RockCoco chandelier which is rated for outdoor use.”

energy efficiency was also a priority. “We invested in quality

led downlights throughout the house,” explains Jeanne. “they’re

great as you don’t want to be constantly telling the children to

turn the lights off when leaving a room, and they’re so long-

lasting we haven’t had to replace any as yet.”

a lighT-Filled home

s

The Basement the basement features emperor-size beds

which offer somewhere to lie back while watching a film — they also come in handy

during sleepovers. the most striking feature is the vibrant mural. “i wanted

something colourful and fun here to brighten up the basement,” says Jeanne, who commissioned an ibizan street artist

to create it. Polished concrete flooring provides a practical but sleek finish

The Kitchenthe kitchen was designed alongside Kitchen Co-ordination and features Rationel

kitchen units and high-end gaggenau appliances. the kitchen sits within the old semi-basement and as such, is on a higher level to the rest of the open plan dining/sitting area — it was originally divided into two separate rooms too and has been opened up thanks to the addition of concealed steelwork. the stone

flooring from indigenous provides a sense of cohesion throughout the space

82 Homebuilding & Renovating Homebuilding & Renovating 83

The ‘Great’ Roomtom dixon copper shades hang majestically over the formal dining

table, casting a soft, ambient glow for evening supper. “i chose

furniture with a traditional form for this room to complement

the period of the house,” explains Jeanne, who also chose a soft

palette of grey from Farrow & ball for the walls for the same

reason. much of the original cornicing had been removed or was

damaged, and so new cornicing was crafted to match the old. the

bold splashes of colour bring this room right up to date

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Homebuilding & Renovating 85

if something looked wrong. For example, the opening between the living room and hall felt far too low and oppressive, so we opened it right up.” The new opening now brings necessary grandeur to this room of lofty Victorian proportions.

“I’m really interested in what goes on behind the scenes too and introducing high levels of insulation and soundproofing were important,” says Jeanne. With a U value of 0.26, the existing walls now meet current Building Regulations for new builds. The sustainable picture doesn’t end there, as the Flynn’s also specified electricity-producing solar PV; the panels were carefully concealed on a roof pitch, barely visible from the ground.

“It’s also about knowing what decisions are cost-effec-tive — where to spend and where to save,” adds Jeanne. “There was suggestion that the kitchen floor could be lowered; this would have cost an additional £12,000. I thought it over, but in the end felt it was a cost which we wouldn’t necessarily see a return for.” This proved a wise decision; the step between the kitchen and dining/living area provides visual definition between the spaces.

“For my children to say ‘I love this house’ – even teenagers who you wouldn’t expect to notice – is really satisfying,” says Jeanne. It’s no doubt that her lucky teen-agers have the ‘coolest’ house in the neighbourhood. n

Master En SuiteJeanne

purchased all

the sanitaryware

from CP Hart;

this simplified

the specification

process as well

as allowing for

a discount. the

Fatboy RockCoco

chandelier – a

contemporary

reworking of a

traditional form

– is iP rated for

outdoor use, so

was ideal for

use above the

freestanding bath

What I’ve Learnedwhat was your best buy?

it has to be the Sky-Frame

sliding door system. it was

expensive, but you can stand

next to the doors on a winter’s

day and there’s not even a

slightest hint of a draught.

despite being large doors,

they’re so easy to use that my

10-year-old daughter is able to open, close and

lock the doors without any trouble at all; that’s

when you know they’re well made.

what was your biggest bargain?

it has to be the chandelier in the living/formal

dining room. i knew i wanted a large focal light in

this room and when i worked past this chandelier

in a shop window in Fulham, i thought it was

perfect. i went in thinking it may be at least a

couple of thousand, but when the sales assistant

said it was £1,200 i bought it there and then.

what advice would you pass on to others?

Plan, plan and plan again. the horror stories

you hear about on some projects often happen

because the homeowner is anxious to get going

without thorough planning. You may take six

months to plan a project, but it’s often the case

that you finish at the same time as someone

who hasn’t because there’s no overruns on site.

once you’ve made a decision, it’s also important

to stick with it unless it doesn’t look as planned;

there’s always another option, but once you start

changing things the budget starts to slip.

i’d also recommend mentally moving in your

furniture. this way you can establish where you

want your lights and whether you’ll need floor

sockets to add lamps, for example, rather than

trailing wires across the floor.

architect riarch architects ....................................... 01865 553772

main contractor sporn Construction ..................... 01869 277222

portland stone supply and fit harristone .........01480 404445

zinc VmZinc ......................................................................... vmzinc.co.uk

sedum Bauder .....................................................................01473 257671

glass doors (extension) sky-frame..................................xxxxxxxx

windows (extension) Velfac ..................................... 01223 897100

conservation rooflight The rooflight Company ...........................

....................................................................................................01993 833155

Bespoke glazing oxford glass ................................ 01865 242450

feature lighting Foscarini .......................................... foscarini.com

elemental ..................................................................... elemental.uk.com

led downlights Photonstar .......................................02381 230381

stone and timber flooring indigenous ................01993 824200

micro-concrete flooring Concreations ............020 8408 3000

pocket doors eclisse ......................................................01476 565497

paint Farrow and Ball.......................................................01202 876141

sanitaryware supply CP hart ....................................... cphart.co.uk

Kitchen Kitchen Co-ordination..............................020 8958 6262

Jeanne & Tim’s Supplies

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86 Homebuilding & Renovating

Floorplansthis five storey property features open plan living space on the new lower ground floor. the kitchen steps down to a dining and sitting area; there’s also a staircase leading to the large basement below (not shown here), which is home to gym equipment, a pool table and cinema area together with a separate WC. the original property has been restored to its former glory; on the ground floor, the reception rooms have been opened up to create one large open plan living/formal dining room. the first floor features a large master bedroom suite (above), with further bedrooms on the second floor

achieving planning permission for new additions to homes within

Conservation areas, as here, requires clever and sympathetic

design. “a new addition here needed to sit below the line of the

neighbouring wall. this in turn informed the flat roof and the

contemporary design,” explains Riarch architects’ Kieron Roberts.

“We also aimed to create an extension which differentiates from

the historic, but still had a relationship with the victorian house.”

among the most ingenious features is the sedum roof which

softens the aspect and offers attractive views from the ground

floor rooms. “Zinc detailing was introduced at the eaves as a

practical solution for tying in the sedum roof with the stone-clad

walls,” adds Kieron Roberts, “while the roof overhang protects the

Portland stone from rain and from algae subsequently forming.”

building both this addition and the basement below proved to

be a feat of engineering. “logistically, the site posed a couple of

challenges,” says Sporn Constructions’ Robin Sporn. “not only is

access restricted, but for the scale of work undertaken here, it’s a

small site, meaning we were limited on the plant which we could

bring in.” mini diggers were used for much of the excavation work.

Piled foundations were required too. “We’d have ideally built

a secant piled wall,” says Robin, “which would have provided a

degree of waterproofing straightaway. but due to the nature of

the site, a contiguous piled wall was instead required. (the former

improves watertightness.) the basement is approximately 5m

deep, while the water table is at around 3m; once we hit 3m we

constantly had to ‘dewater’ the site,” he says.

a concrete-reinforced slab (which forms the lower ground floor)

was then introduced; this served to hold the piled foundations in

place while the lower basement level was dug out beneath.

Some 635m3 of spoil was moved from the site. With the front

garden providing limited space, the skip hire provider visited the

site a couple of times a day to remove the eagerly filled skips.

Building ouTWards & under

second floor

first floor

ground floor

bed room

bed room

bath

bed room

master bedroom

dr

es

sin

g

office

dining

hall

sitting

dining

kitchen

wc

laundry

sitting

bedroom

lower ground floor

bedroom