En-suite Extension Hereford
We were invited to build an en-suite extension in Hereford. The existing property was a Victorian house constructed of red brick with solid wall construction. Great care was taken to ensure that the extension aligned with the style of the existing Victorian house.
After consulting with a local architect, a suitable design was proposed, produced, and agreed upon. The chosen method of construction was a traditional build, consisting of a strip foundation. The construction included a traditional over-site, brick-and-block cavity walls (with a brick external wall and a block internal wall), and a traditional timber-pitched roof, hand-cut on site.
The original house was constructed with an English bond using nine-inch solid walls. To replicate this, including a cavity, an imperial brick was chosen to be laid in an English bond pattern. The exterior brick wall was designed to be four inches thick, with a snap header to mimic the English bond style. The existing house had plinth moldings along the exterior walls at window height and around the windows. Molding was cast on the new extension's walls to match the original moldings. The rafters for the roof were cut and left exposed to mirror the existing roof's construction.
Traditional cement mortar was used, consisting of six parts sand, one part hydrated lime, and one part cement. Careful selection of sand colors and cement helped maintain the appearance of the original lime mortar.
The interior fit-out of the en-suite was designed as a wet room. The floor was tiled on a reinforced concrete slab, with underfloor heating. The walls in the shower area were tiled floor-to-ceiling with single natural granite tiles measuring 3 meters in height. The remaining walls were partially tiled, with painted surfaces above. The ceiling was vaulted to create a sense of space and light, including a Velux skylight for additional natural light.
