Turning a property dream into reality takes both an expert eye and a current understanding of local authority planning restrictions. Often, clients come to us with great ideas but are uncertain how to make them work. Or they might have worked through the initial stages of a project with other professionals, but the resulting plans don’t fit their expectations or budget. They might even have existing plans that just don’t work for them anymore.
Whether turning a client’s ideas into reality or reimagining old plans in unexpected ways, these are the kind of challenges we thrive on. We excel in giving clients more than they thought possible – layouts that better suit their lifestyle, adding more space, value, wow factor. On a number of projects, we’ve been able to save clients a substantial amount of their budget.
Here are a few projects where we’ve done just that:
Making a 4-bedroom home into a 5-bedroom home with a second floor
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/barn-conversion-surrey-2/
Our client originally planned to turn this barn into a four-bedroom property. To create additional space, we worked with them to add a second floor to the plans, including a fifth bedroom which could also be used as a study. The work involved careful excavation to allow headroom for the second floor.
The end result is a stunning home with much needed extra space.
Using roof space instead of a costly basement build
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/new-build-east-kent/
Our client’s original idea to add a basement incorporating a guest suite in their new build property was an expensive addition, particularly as they were not expecting regular overnight visitors. Instead, we suggested altering the roof space to create a five, rather than four-bedroom property. By removing the basement element, we kept costs within their budget, and added resale value with more bedrooms.
Small tweaks, big impact for this holiday let
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/barn-conversion-south-east-kent/
Our client came to us with plans to convert this lovely barn into a stunning holiday let. The covered balcony in the original plans represented a significant expense and was poorly positioned for sunlight. We instead recommended increasing the room size to improve the layout. We also reconfigured the eaves dressing room design to improve head height. Relocating the stairs gave the conversion a much bigger hallway. The result is a stunning and popular 5-bedroom holiday let.
Additional storey, more cost-effective build
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/new-build-home-east-sussex/
We reworked the plans for this new build home to fit within the planned footprint but created a more practical, cost-effective layout over two storeys rather than one.
The redesign allowed for a stunning double height space for the kitchen/dining room, creating the ‘heart of the home’ the client wanted, maximising the beautiful views. This beautiful, detached home features three bedrooms upstairs, one downstairs with en-suite, a car port and storage room.
Rebuild rather than remodel for significant savings
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/new-build-planning-west-kent/
When we met with this client, they had consent to remodel and extend their home. However, the proposed works would have left very little of the existing house intact and the VAT for the building work would be significant – around £100k.
We explained that as new build properties are zero rated for VAT, a demolition and rebuild would be far more advantageous in terms of design and cost. We went on to design and build a lovely 5-bedroom detached home. The client was so pleased, they invited us back to build a second property in their large garden.
Turning a bedroom into a stunning suite
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/extension-planning-west-kent/
On this oast extension project, the client wanted to turn an unused downstairs bedroom into a bathroom. We came up with an idea with real wow-factor – a two-story main en-suite with a downstairs bathroom connected to the bathroom upstairs with a stylish and unusual curved staircase.
An unexpected additional home
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/barn-conversion-west-kent-2/
The secondary property in this project, a brick outbuilding, was originally intended as ancillary accommodation, secondary to the main property, a barn which the client planned to convert into a five-bedroom home. They could also convert the outbuilding into a proper home on the site, giving them the choice to sell it as a separate dwelling at a later date, should they wish to. This allowed them to take advantage of the reduced 5% VAT rate applied to conversions, as well as adding value to the site.
Better layout and enhanced traditional features
https://www.vernacularhomes.com/our-work/barn-conversion-west-kent/
We altered existing plans for this barn conversion by moving the planned utility space out of the barn and into the garage area. This freed up barn space to allow us to design a more workable and attractive kitchen and reception area. To meet planning requirements, we also had to leave elements of the existing steel portal frame in-situ. We took the opportunity to turn them into an attractive feature which could be seen throughout the conversion.
Get in touch with us today for a friendly chat about your ideas and plans for your new build, renovation, extension or refurbishment.
For an informal conversation about your project please call us on 01233 861177 or email us using the form. Your data is not used for marketing – only to contact you.
If you have documents - previous designs, plans or photos, please send them to us via email: enquiries@vernacularhomes.com
