ha! finally got back into the blog

OK - sorry for the silence. I have no excuses. I forgot my password to access the blog - so changed it, to something I thought I would remember, but then promptly forgot the second password (I confused it with my Zara password, which is different to the Paypal password, my work password, Facebook password, Smile banking password etc etc). Silly really.

But I have also been very busy with lots of other projects such as an exciting new brochure, Gabriel about to start school, new projects at work, holidays by the sea and oh, just the little matter of our planning application. If only it was a little matter........

I wish I could tell you all about the planning app now - but as it is still live on Herefordshire Council's website and not all the consultation has been received I think it best to try and let it run through the process and reach a conclusion before I start gabbling on. All I will say is that it has turned out to be unexpectedly and extremely stressful and upsetting  - but also a valuable 'life lesson' that I think will be a positive in the long run (cryptic eh?) For every dark moment there have been an equal number of silver linings (and lovely ones at that), which are all the more touching when you feel that everything is going wrong. It is so easy to get bogged down by a negative minority, but I am trying to remember that the phrase 'those who shout the loudest' has never been more important than now. And as I have a long memory I will make sure that I use everything I have learnt during this episode and turn all the negatives into good energy somewhere along the line.

I promise that I will give you a lot more detail and the whole run down as soon as the application is decided - one way or another. Unless you all really want to hear about it now.........???

Anyway, enough about me - I really wanted to share these photos with you. We all really love this at the office.

It's a great extension project we completed last year, a large vaulted oak framed room added to a beautiful flint, oak and brick house (listed of course) in a fantastic conservation area village. It has already won a LABC award and a Conservation Award which is exciting and a just reward for the hard work and vision of the owner.

I really admire the 'soft' approach chosen to link the two structures - it is an engineered glass link that leaves the original host building unaltered and visually obvious, but is still practical and allows light to flood in.

A wide opening connects the two structures and gives a simple contemporary feel whilst respecting the older structure and showcasing the craftsmanship of the new.

The fire and 'electronics' are hidden into niches which reduce the clutter and are a neat and modern approach that I will be stealing - sorry 'borrowing' - one day.

I really like this project and hope you do too - in many ways it reminds me of a certain design currently in the planning process...........

PS we have just heard that another of our projects will be filmed by Channel 4 for the next series of Building the Dream (the first hasn't aired yet, but we have a few houses on there in one way or another) very exciting! Here is the link to the blog being written by the client. Can't wait to watch the house grow

http://www.fortyacresbuild.blogspot.co.uk

weatherboarded oak cottage

Do you remember this lovely house I mentioned a few weeks ago? Well, I just realised that I haven't ever uploaded the gorgeous interior shots!  So here they are - with a few externals to give you a better feel for the gorgeous house and setting.

Have a great weekend

what a view...........G &T on the upper terrace darling?

A Herefordshire Farmhouse

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend the day styling some pics of a house Border Oak built for some good pals of mine. It was a lovely day - not least because little Hugo was a charmer, (and ever so handsome) but also because the house was so easy to photograph and the owners were so helpful and chilled.

It is a house with just the right balance of character and detail, without being pastiche or contrived. Being a mixture of handmade brick, oak and render it also sits well in the plot and will weather beautifully. We tried to capture the blend of materials and the play of light across the facade of the house but it is hard to do in a photo - but it was very atmospheric.

If there was a way to describe the internal atmosphere of each house I would try to put it into words on the blog because it is these unique atmospheres that give each Border Oak house their own personality. The best I can come up with for this beautiful farmhouse is 'happy, relaxed and home' - which are feelings I would hope to emulate if I was to build another house for my family.........

Set into a slight dip, the house is completely hidden away. It is in a pretty and small village in Herefordshire where Border Oak have been lucky enough to build 5 houses over the past few years.

I love the weather boarded 'lean to' on the side with the stable door

3 of our 4 project managers were bricklayers in previous lives and so exceptional brick work is one of Border Oak's specialities!

The kitchen is a really great space - wide and long and with lots of exposed oak and windows. At one end there are some sofas and Hugo's play area.

The hallway is open to the sitting room so you get a sense of space as soon as you enter

The house is a mixture of oak framing and SIPs - the sitting room is the SIPs part, so the oak frame is simplified here. A great idea for displaying photos over the lintel

The utility room uses the same units as the kitchen so the flow between the two rooms is seamless

I really liked the floor coverings too

The master bedroom is above the sitting room and with windows either side it was bright and spacious
with just enough oak to give architectural features

Hugo was the best model ever

The family bathroom

The en suite shower room

and finally......the cutest photo of the day