Julian and Lore recently purchased a mid 1960s community church hall on the English south coast. The hall is in a conservation area and sits tightly within the dense medieval village grain, cut into a steeply rising slope. It has fantastic views to the south from the roof. The building did not at first look promising as a conversion project; it caught the eye of a few developers who would have proposed demolition and replacement with a few small town houses. This was generally not supported by the neighbours and following extensive discussions with local people, Jules and Lore, purchased the Hall with the intention of converting it to a family home. Planning proposals where submitted and work started on the building in 2015.
This is a ‘self build’ project, the majority of the design & construction work being undertaken by Julian, who has previously converted and renovated a number of properties including some fantastic Cornish barns. He is an engineer and master builder by profession. The proposals include a double height space with full glazing, galleried bedrooms, two spiral and one traditional stair and a roof top terrace taking advantage of the views to the south.
The brief on the project was to collaboratively provide a series of interior and architectural ideas and solutions to inform the initial thoughts on how the building might take shape. These ideas focused on how to bring light and openness to the main spaces, improve the circulation and sight lines and how to utilise the rooftop. The results are looking very positive to date and as we follow the progress we hope to show more of this unusual development.
