Studland House is a substantially renovated and extended private home in Dorset. The sloping site has views over Studland Bay, and is part of a small estate of houses within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The clients approached Ström Architects to develop the 90’s era chalet bungalow on site, into a more contemporary family holiday house, with a view to it becoming a more permanent home over time. The client being a designer himself, had a clear vision for what he wanted to achieve; Ström Architects worked with him to develop this into a brief, create spaces to evoke different emotions, and ultimately realise his aspirations in a tangible built form. The existing house did not engage with the surrounding landscape or expansive views. Small windows and living spaces at ground floor level meant that the house could not connect to the exterior; bedrooms at first floor suffered from awkward roof forms, limited gable-end windows and roof lights, so any views were constrained or aimed at the sky. The clients wanted all visitors to be able to appreciate the stunning backdrop and to bring the views into the social parts of the house. The existing house – although dated and restrictive in layout – was in good structural condition, and it seemed wasteful (both economically and environmentally) to demolish it. Instead, we decided to renovate and extend by adding a new first floor. This new lightweight steel-framed structure sits upon existing masonry walls. Retaining these Purbeck stone walls gives the building a heavy base to root the design on site, creating a sense of permanence whilst also reflecting the local character. The planting on site is important in creating separation between the houses and allowing a degree of privacy. By using the existing footprint we ensured that vegetation was not encroached upon; creating a privacy screen to the first floor terrace, we also ensured that overlooking was not a problem, whilst still maximizing the main view. The house consists of two distinct volumes connected by a glazed link: the northern volume is clad in dark grey zinc at first floor, with the stone walls below; in contrast, the southern volume consists of untreated larch at the upper level. Utilitarian functions (garage, store, utility, plant) are housed on the ground floor where there are no views and where planting makes the site darkest. The central double-height circulation space acts as a connection piece between the two volumes in plan as well as connecting ground and first floors vertically. Secondary communal spaces (guest bedrooms, games room and snug) relate to the garden and courtyard spaces at ground level, whilst the master bedroom and social spaces sit at first floor in the northern-most volume - this allows them to take advantage of the sea view. A long terrace wraps along the north and west edges of this space, providing depth to the elevation and extending the living space externally. A study space occupies the first floor level of the southern volume, with views south-west of the countryside. Ström Architects were appointed in April 2016 and planning approval was granted in January 2017; construction works started on site in June later that year, and the house was completed in April 2018. Due to tight budget constraints, we were not appointed for site involvement during the construction stage. Because of this, we decided with the client that it was especially important to select a contractor who could deliver the quality that we collectively demanded, without our site involvement. As such, we produced an extremely detailed construction package and did a negotiated tender with a contractor who had built another of our projects nearby, and who understood our detailing and the standards that would be expected. As the client is a designer himself, we felt that we could simply be involved with site queries on a case-by-case basis, where his expertise needed our assistance. The collective efforts of the team – from a heavily-involved client, to a trusted and experienced contractor – enabled us to create a high quality building on a restricted budget. The project explores how a house can be truly transformed from a dated and awkward building, into a completely fresh and unique home that exceeds the client’s needs.