The site lies on the edge of a Conservation Area and previously included a dilapidated detached house badly damaged by subsidence. The option for a new-build house was obvious and a contemporary design route was chosen. Following very favourable ‘pre-app’ discussions with the Council, planning permission was subsequently granted. By setting the building into the slope of the site and adopting a flat roof solution, it was possible set the building lower than the original house on the site. The new house sits comfortably on the site and has been expertly integrated into the landscape by landscape designer Tom Massey, winner of the RHS Gold Medal and the BBC People’s Choice Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021. The palette of materials used on the building has deliberately been kept simple with powder-coated aluminium windows and doors, through-colour render, vertical accoya cladding and dark grey brick slips to fascias. An array of rooftop solar panels helps provide power for the house and for car charging.