A whole house renovation and extension to a historic building in Sandwich.

The old bakery is located within the Sandwich Walled Town conservation area, it is a Victorian end of terrace shop that was converted to residential use in the 1970’s. The property has sat empty for many years, was generally in a very poor condition and in need of a comprehensive refurbishment.

The existing property is made up of a series of small disconnected spaces. The design strips out the entire building interior and along with a new extension transforms the property into an open and bright home. The open plan ground floor substantially improves natural light and creates better connectivity between the main living spaces and the garden.

The restoration of the existing building and the new extension maintain the traditional form of breathable construction of the original structure. Wood fibre and sheep’s wool insulation, with a new roof and replacement timber windows provides for a well insulated home and sustainable reuse of the old building. The new timber framed extension also follows this approach, with a zinc roof and exposed timber joists internally expressing the different forms of construction.

Externally the material palette is simple and restrained, replacement render and brick maintain the historic character with new zinc detailing adding a new interest.

Planning and conservation area approval have been granted and the project is now under construction.