Dower House

Built in Cotswold stone around 1900 and set in beautiful grounds, the Dower House needed major surgery to make it a home suitable for a large family in the 21st century.

The former library, tv room and spine corridor were combined together to make a huge living space for the Kitchen and Dining area, with a wood burner and sitting area at one end. Dramatic Calacatta Viola marble was used for the kitchen counters and the new fireplace and new Crittall French doors lead out to the terrace and gardens.

A pocket slider gives access to the new TV room next door and a door concealed in a bookcase gives a secret route to the original hallway. A damp courtyard was turned into a new Entrance Hall and Study, the latter with a vaulted ceiling and Crittall screen overlooking a south-facing walled terrace. The outbuildings were converted and extended to provide a private gym, a Teen-Barn with a mezzanine floor and a self-contained one-bedroom house for visitors.

Pool House

A timber-framed Pool House faces south over the length of the outdoor pool and provides a kitchen and party space for poolside gatherings. Three large sliding doors can be pushed to one side leaving the room entirely open to the pool terrace; overhead a large electric awning provides necessary shade on hot days. The enclosed part of the Pool House provides a changing room, sauna and bathroom allowing the building to be used as self-contained overflow accommodation during busy periods. The exterior is finished in charred-larch and two circular windows with gold surrounds frame the views of the pool and surrounding landscape.

CBA were professional at all times and were a pleasure to work with. Communication with Charles was always positive and his clear build experience and keen eye for design and form added greatly to the end result in both projects.
Having worked with CBA twice, on two quite different projects, I can confirm that I would strongly recommend him for a wide range of architectural projects.

Richard Barker