AFTER
BEFORE
BEFORE
ABOVE: A North American cedar hot tub was sunk into the garden with breathtaking views onto
the snow topped mountain peaks. In front, a sunny terrace with lounge seating to enjoy the summer
sunsets
not as a commodity to buy and sell, but as a sacred commodity to be
passed on to future generations.
The barn was traditionally wooden built - like all other construction
in the area - chalet style, with a living part in the front of the building,
and an attached barn and cow shed at the back.
It took us a year to get the necessary permissions as the plot had
to be taken out of agricultural land to be changed to residential use
and as the living part was listed as an historic building it was subject
to a number of restrictions. But having jumped all the hurdles, work
finally started on April 1st 2012.
Most of the structure had to be completely replaced, but the
facade as well as some of the interior walls had to remain standing for
the restoration. These were propped up in order to dig out and create
solid foundations.
The traditionally built walls were made from solid five inch thick
timbers. Even though having suffered from years of neglect and
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Bridge for Design December 2015
water damage from the leaking roof, the local craftsmen, who revere
the integrity of aged wood, were able to restore them by a repeated
process of sanding and application of gentle cleaning solutions to
maintain the patina of the walls without showing the damage from
the years of neglect.
The roof had to be completely amended in order to support the
new heavier stone roof, and to eliminate several pillars in the barn, to
create the open space of the new drawing room that we wanted.
From the very beginning we had a clear vision of the farm. It had
to retain its integrity as an old building in its natural surroundings but
at the same time it had to be comfortable and usable for modern life.
The building was fitted with underfloor heating to avoid
having radiators. Seven bedrooms were created, each with their own
en-suite bathroom. Miles of cable was installed to support WiFi, TV
and entertainment systems as well as the home cinema.
When designing a home we always start from the basis that while