CONTEMPORARY NEW BUILD HOUSE,
COTSWOLDS

The construction of this completely bespoke contemporary architect designed house in the Cotswolds presented a number of challenges including its location, it being built into the side of a hill. The ambitious design for the new house was to replace a former barn conversion, which was demolished to make space for the new 4 bedroomed dwelling.

Before construction could begin, WG Carter prepared a new road for site access including the construction of a road bridge across a stream. Being built into the hillside necessitated extensive complicated ground works. The hill was excavated and shored up with widespread ground retention works taking place for 6 months before the foundations could be laid. Gas and electricity supplies had to be brought across the fields from a neighbouring estate.

The house, designed by Adrian James Architects, has sweeping curved external walls made of Cotswold stone. These walls have a unique Ashlar stone banding feature which demanded particularly high precision and skills for all the masonry work in order to achieve the correct radius on the curve. This was archived by constructing a steel frame to which the stone bands were attached before the stone walls were laid to exacting tolerances.

The 2-story building has a Bauder roof, part of which is grassed and the rest is paved with PV panels for electricity production. The ground floor is open plan with a large feature staircase made of concrete and clad in oak with oak balustrades. The bespoke shaped kitchen units are made completely of Corian, which also features in the bar of the walk in wine cellar, the highlight of the man cave. The high quality fit out also includes a lighting scheme that was designed especially for the house, as was the AV system.

This stunning new house was designed to fit in with its surroundings and to look like part of the Cotswolds landscape and the 18-month build period reflected the complex construction and design.

Architect: Adrian James
Photographer: Fisher Studios Ltd