The challenge of this project was to tease functional and delightful spaces out of an unpromising opportunity. The plot was 💵 a narrow 2.8m wide break in an existing terrace, bounded by flank walls on both sides, which had lain vacant 💵 for a number of years. We bought the site as part of a deal to acquire some garden space at 💵 the rear of our house. However rather than extending our own property the high land value forced us to consider 💵 dividing the plot and developing this strip with street frontage separately. Although consent for a 3-storey house already existed we 💵 made a conscious decision to re-apply for a smaller 2-storey 1-bed scheme, prioritising quality of space over minimising space standards 💵 and maximising gross development.
To fully exploit the constrained width, avoid loading the neighbouring structures and straddle shared utilities running under 💵 the site, the house was constructed using a lightweight steel frame on a piled slab. The steelwork was prefabricated as 💵 a series of portal frames that were craned down the alley and site-welded together. Given that every inch in such 💵 a narrow space was valuable we chose to fully weld the connections and express the frame internally, even utilising the 💵 depth of the steels to maximise the space.
Alongside the painted steel a simple palette of spruce plywood, douglas fir joists, 💵 terrazzo and cork flooring enriches the interior. Externally the timber framed walls are clad in handmade pewter glazed brick slips 💵 with a patina that reflects the changing light of the sky. Both the simply landscaped and planted rear courtyard and 💵 the garden in front of the house enhance the feeling of space in this small dwelling.
This self-build project had a 💵 long gestation, fitted in around professional and family life. The design and construction were developed as time and money allowed 💵 so whilst planning consent was given in January 2014 and the ground works commenced in the spring of 2024, the 💵 building was not completed until August 2024. We worked closely with friend and joiner Michael Tye to lead a small 💵 team of local subcontractors and employed specialist fabricators for certain key packages as well as undertaking a fair amount of 💵 the work ourselves.
The result is a unique and highly crafted home that is a testament to the commitment, effort and 💵 support of many people. By replacing a narrow disused alley with this comfortable small home we hope to have enhanced 💵 the streetscape we inhabit. As the building completes the terrace, so does the front garden - with the simple bin 💵 store, planting, level access and bike parking we aimed to keep it open and reinforce the pavement line without making 💵 a hard boundary. The development highlights the viability, both economically and spatially of small brownfield sites to provide high quality 💵 sustainable development at a time of housing shortage. We see it as a model for other seemingly undevelopable urban gap 💵 sites where the value added is through the quality of the architecture rather than over-development.
Material Used :
1. Cavendish Equipment – 💵 kitchen worktop
2. Robus Ceramics LLP – pewter glazed tiles
3. Mereway Kitchens – carcasses
4. Vent-Axia Group Ltd - MVHR system
5. Front 💵 Yard Company – bin store
6. Love Floors – oak flooring
7. Siesta Cork Tile Company – cork flooring
8. Zangra – light 💵 fittings
9. Flos – light fittings
10. Roofglaze – rooflights
11. Guttercrest Ltd – roof coping
12. Protektor UK – specialist plaster trims
13. GIL-LEC 💵 Ltd – electrical supplies
14. Valchromat – furniture finishes
15. Fenix –furniture finishes
16. Sugatsune - ironmongery
17. D-Line – ironmongery
18. English Woodlands Timber 💵 – Douglas fir joists
19. Mosa tiles – bathroom tiling
20. Duravit – sanitaryware
21. Hans Grohe – brassware
22. Majestic Shower Company – 💵 shower door
23. Kaldewei – bath
24. Eurobrick Cladding Systems – brickslip cladding system
