Jake House
Essex
Jake House is situated in a popular commuter town in Essex and was formally an unremarkable, 4-bedroom 1970s property. The property had 3 large bedrooms and a box room on the first floor, with a series of interconnecting spaces including a poorly conceived part garage conversion at the ground floor.
RHJB were tasked with an open brief to rejuvenate this property, significantly extending and remodelling the entire home.
Our clients wanted a large open-plan family area to the rear of the home that immediately addressed the garden. This new family space should be a place to cook, eat and entertain, bringing the whole family together, and enjoying both inside and outside spaces.
The full-width extension at the ground floor plays with floor levels internally. Creating high ceilings across the new Lounge and Dining spaces. This has been coupled with dropped ceilings and the show-stopping large format sliding doors across the rear elevation, which benefit from a level threshold.
The design breaks down the barriers between internal and external spaces and is enhanced by a continuous tiled floor which is used both inside and out. A simple rendered frame, articulated with a slight angle provides a canopy that addresses the morning sun to the east and defines the ground floor extension.
On the first floor, a master bedroom suite has been designed to utilise the undervalued box room space, extending the building to both the side and rear. Externally, we treated the first floor differently to the ground, to break down the overall mass of the proposals. The first floor has been clad vertically in pre-treated western red cedar, contrasted to the brilliant white render used elsewhere.
Exposed red brick used internally references the original finish of the building, seeking to add warmth to the open plan space and offset the extensive use of white walls.
The extensive remodelling and extension works at Jake House have proven highly successful for family life. The home is now used to its full potential day to day by a lively young family. It has been a highly rewarding project and created a striking contemporary solution in the street.
