VATRAA

Brief

The clients bought the house as it reminded them of their Sri Lankan background, with raw materials, beautiful views, and a wild, overgrown garden ending onto the River Thames. They approached us to respectfully restore the property by conserving as many of the remaining features as possible, while enhancing the inside-outside connection and infusing a Sri Lankan feel.

Constraints

The house was the only one in the area left untouched for decades. It came in a bad condition with serious structural issues requiring underpinning. On the inside, not many of the original features were left, except for the stair, the floorboards and remaining parts of the old plaster. Although not a listed monument, both the clients, the planners and us decided it should be treated as such.

Approach

First step: addressing the structural problems

To offset part of the underpinning costs into gaining more space, we created a basement under the old part of the house, that contains a corridor/ulility room, bathroom and a games room connected to a lightwell leading to the front garden.

Second step: extending the living space at the ground floor and introducing homeowners' personality 

The ground floor was extended to incorporate a kitchen, dining, living and reception room. In such an elongated plan, the main challenge was enhancing the connection with the garden and maximising natural light. We did not use the side return to fully extend, but rather to invite the garden towards the middle of the house.

The interior materials combine oak (stained to match the Sri Lankan typical wood colour), raw concrete and plaster which are common in Sri Lankan architecture.

The dining table was designed bespoke to suit the homeowners' way of entrertaning.

Third step: bringing back the spirit of the old house

Being in a bad condition, the old house did not have many of the old features left, all details were gone except for a few key elements - the stair, the floorboards, the plaster walls revealing different layers of plaster and paint after removing the existing wallpaper and the parts affected by damp. We decided to use conservation principles to preserve those key features ‘as found’. To enhance their beauty, any new  additions are complementary but distinguishable from the old.

The many layers of stair paint were removed and the balustrade was restored, showing traces of time. 

The plaster conservation was the most challenging element of the repair process. 80% of it being affected by damp, we could only keep it in a few parts (particularly on the party walls and internal structural walls which were not exposed to the dampness of the external envelope). This allowed us to remove the damaged plaster completely on the external walls and then insulate internally, while not affecting the character of the property. The missing parts of the plaster are completed with new lime plaster, distinguishable but complementary to the old.

The same happens at the first floor where old plaster and paint is preserved around the former chimney breast, while the rest of the walls are insulated.

Fourth step: transforming the upper floors

The upper floors floorboards were temporarily removed, joists levelled, plywood added and then floorboards relayed on top, sanded and stained into a colour matching the Sri Lankan aesthetics.

The master bedroom becomes 5 meter tall by expanding the space into the former attic.

Fifth step: a timeless rear facade 

The old rear facade had an odd second floor window, which was a later addition that negatively impacted the original building. To maximise river view and also respect the existing context, we replaced it oversized sash windows. These were inspired by the original windows and also served a functional purpose by turning into a balcony balustrade when fully open. Overall, the new rear image is respectful of the surroundings, complementary to the old and gives the sensation it was always meant to be there.

At the ground floor, an oversized french door fully opens the view to the river. The terracotta coloured concrete facade borrows the colour of the original red brick window arches and blends in with the trees nearby. 

During the evening, the house becomes warm and glowing into the wild garden.

Details

Photo credits: Jim Stephenson