Flint House

Flint House

A new family home with two wings

Scheme
6 bedroom family home

Location
Hertfordshire

The 'Flint House' is a new family home within the village of Flaunden in Hertfordshire. The property has been designed to fit within the conservation area and to assimilate with the surrounding listed buildings by using locally sourced and high-quality traditional materials.

The new modern home replaced a 1950's brick-built, detached dwelling with a farm-style courtyard. The existing property did not offer much in terms of historic value to the conservation area and sat at slight odds to the neighbouring properties in terms of its bulk and scale. Whilst retention and extension of the original property was considered, the farmhouse was in need of a comprehensive modernisation and therefore it became more cost effective to replace the entire dwelling with a more energy-efficient structure that was designed to suit the clients lifestyles.

The new family home consists of a 6-bedroom dwelling with two main wings that present gabled ends to the front or west elevation. Each gable has projecting bay windows with clay tile roofs at ground level that provide modelling to the front and rear elevations. The two primary wings contain most of the living accommodation and are linked by a cross‐wing which contains the porch, entrance hall and also a back entrance from the rear garden via a boot room and utility space.

Although a large property the elevations are varied and layered with different wings, roofs, dormers and oak framed porches that add relief and interest. A glazed single-storey, oak-framed conservatory or ‘summer‐room’ to the south extends the living accommodation into the garden and is complemented by an adjacent stone paved terrace with a lightweight pergola.

The property uses traditional flint panels set within red brick quoins and a 'Bucks' or 'Chesham Multi' brick by H.G Matthews around the base of the elevations to give the home a rich variety of tones from oranges through to reds & purples. The red clay roof tiles are the 'Chiltern Mix' from the 'Traditional Clay Tile Company' and overall the new property blends with the traditional village context and already looks established within its grounds.

Set within two acres of gardens, which includes a small wooded area, vegetable garden with raised planters, patios, paths and a newly planted orchard the property contributes to the wider landscape and adds biodiversity to the surrounding area.

Internally the property has a generous kitchen and dining area linked with a dual facing wood-burning stove. A double height hallway with gallery style landing leads visitors up to two levels of bedrooms and bathrooms with fantastic views out over the surrounding farmland and countryside.