Historic restoration and contemporary one-off new home

Old and new comes together at this beautiful waterside spot

This beautiful Grade II listed former water mill is situated in a peaceful meadow on the outskirts of a rural North Devon village and dates back to the 1790s.

Development at this site to renovate the mill and add a new one off home had to take into account the strong historical importance of such a building and the fact that by virtue of its former role, it stood in a flood plain.

Care has been taken throughout the design process to integrate as many traditional materials, finishes and techniques as possible in the repair of the existing building. The next challenge was then to design a contemporary dwelling that not only responded to the needs of modern living but also complimented the existing architecture and unified the two different styles coherently.

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The design has evolved from the original concepts to ensure that the new house combines a simple elegance with detailing that provides a highly efficient, thermal envelope, and focuses on simplicity in construction to provide a robust and detailed home.

 The building form seeks to highlight the elevated pavilion, which respects the original watermill feature but also takes into account the practicalities of building within a floodplain.

 As with all work related to listed buildings, our clients have a genuine desire to invest, renovate, and then live within the historical structure, as well as the proposed new home. This creates a new chapter on the site, and ensures the ongoing viability and reason for the buildings.

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