Don't move, remodel (From Living Northeast)

Don't move, remodel

1:01pm Monday 20th April 2009 in

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The housing market remains locked into an eternal winter but, as Ian Lamming discovers, it doesn’t have to stop you achieving a change of scene.

LIKE lemmings hurtling towards the cliff edge, homeowners have traditionally thrown themselves at the market in spring desperate for a change after the long winter hibernation. This year is likely to be the first for some time where people decide to, or are forced to, stay put and ride out the global recession and paralysis among the banks.

But human nature being what it is, this downturn in fortunes doesn’t stop people wanting a change. The fact you can’t or daren’t sell your current house, or you can’t even find another one to buy, doesn’t mean you have to stagnate.

The answer is to remodel, renovate or restore.

Homeowners all have it in them to come up with their very own grand design and there are eager architects out there only too willing to give them a helping hand.

There has never been a better time to buy redundant buildings and properties that are “in need of modernisation”.

Or even if you keep the same address, a fresh pair of expert eyes can reveal myriad possibilities.

“There really is no need to stagnate,” says Simon Crowe, principal architectural director with Darlingtonbased Niven Architects. “Nobody wants to stand still and despite the housing market, they don’t have to.

“With a careful eye you can release more space through redesigning. You can go up into the loft and out with an extension. You can also convert anything from a barn to a piggery, or look at changing outbuildings into living or office space.”

Niven Architects, based in Coniscliffe Road, has built up expertise in renovations and restorations over the years alongside huge multi-million pound projects for organisations as far flung as Durham Police and Bowes Museum. But as the downturn affects large-scale commercial projects, the domestic specialised initiatives are coming to the fore.

The practice has developed relationships with artisans and experts who specialise in high quality and hitech schemes, from cabinet-making and stone masonry to incorporating sustainable energy sources such as wind, solar, and ground and air-source heating, rainwater harvesting and insulation. Architects can also help developers through the minefield of regulations surrounding listed properties.

Builders’ costs have dropped 15 per cent in recent times and many firms no longer have long waiting lists.

And when the economy does pick up again the renovations will ensure that the value of the house is retained or increased, and that it’s more likely to sell in a competitive market.

At Langdale Hall, near Melsonby, Nivens helped owners John and Karen Pratt convert redundant stables into prestigious homes commanding the highest rents.

The £1.5m development took old stables and sheds transforming them into three and four-bedroom, threebathroom properties built from the original or reclaimed stone with a host of contemporary features.

Mr Crowe explains: “The properties are in an idyllic rural setting in the grounds of the hall with views across the Tees Valley and offer peaceful homes in the country yet within easy reach of town and main roads.

“We were able to retain the two original stable blocks and used reclaimed stone to in-fill between the buildings to link the properties, each of which has a private garden and parking area.”

A feature of the development was the use of contemporary windows, some of which extend from floor to ceiling, to maximise light and the views to the north. The largest property has a unique central fireplace and chimney breast in the entrance hallway, a gin-gan and a number of stables.

Each property has a large living room with open fireplace and vaulted, beamed ceilings. Generous kitchens in each of the homes boast tiled floors, Belfast sinks, oak units with granite worktops and all appliances including Agas in the two bigger properties. Most of the bedrooms also have beamed, vaulted ceiling and skylights, and two in each home have en suite shower rooms. The family bathroom in each house has a free-standing roll-top bath.

The properties overlook farmland and a landscaped area with a pond and are being let on a long-term basis.

Mr Crowe adds: “It was a pleasure working on such a rewarding development. It shows what can be achieved with vision and imagination.”

A few miles away redundant 19th Century farm buildings on another North Yorkshire estate have been revived as character offices, a new administrative centre and hospitality space. Niven Architects worked with client Landteam to breathe fresh life into the barns and sheds at Murkey Hill Farm, Middleton Tyas, near Richmond.

The property is now the headquarters of Landteam, a property investment and development company owned by local landowners and cousins Adrian Speir and Ralph Congreve. It marked a move back onto the 1,025-acre estate where Adrian grew up and which was inherited first by his mother, then his brother before Landteam bought most of it in 2003.

Mr Crowe says: “The aim of the scheme was to retain as much of the original materials, form and character of the barns while creating modern offices and ancillary buildings that are used for hospitality, corporate and social events.

“The site comprised a row of four barns with a fifth longer barn along one side. We have retained the external shape and created a central courtyard, and refurbished an additional attached barn which is now a gamekeeper’s cottage.

There is also a large car park and panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.”

Eight people now work at Murkey Hill on the ground floor and first floor offices with a conservatory and fullyfitted kitchen. A further seven people are employed in the farming and estate activities.

There is office space to let on the first floor and a ground floor meeting room and reception area with wood burning stove, which are also available for company away-days or family parties. A beaters’ room and a walk-in chiller room mean the development can also be used for the estate’s shooting parties.

Mr Crowe adds: “These are just two example of how something can be created from virtually nothing. The legacies left by previous generations can provide us with some amazing opportunities.

“Many houses in this area are large and imposing with a plethora of outbuildings that now appear to be of limited use. What they offer us as architects is a challenge, not just to preserve them for future generations, but to create something contemporary, fulfilling and appealing for the people who are living in them today.”

■ Niven Archtiects can be contacted on 01325-260055 or visit nivenarchitects.co.uk