Milkwood House, Noordhoek
Description
The Hetherington’s are carbon conscience and wanted a green solution to altering and adding to their old wood frame cottage set within a glorious milk-wood thicket.
The trees were sacrosanct and the principle brief was to maximize interaction with the magnificent collection of milkwood canopies, from above and below.
A range of options were investigated including demolition of the old cottage to improve positioning and plan shape coupled with a new green construction. But besides overshoot on the budget the demolition didn’t quite feel right to the client due to a conversation we had regarding green principles where the pivot was the that “the greenest building is often the one already standing”.
So we kept the wood cottage and clipped two new masonry structures onto it, an open plan living room extension to the North and a new bedroom & study extension to the West.
The new living room structure had to push out from the old house into the milk-woods. The full height corner openings slide back to reveal the magic of the trees and the dappled light coming through the canopy is experienced throughout the ground floor living area.
The upper level attic bedrooms and bathroom were combined to form a single open plan studio. From here a large dormer with sliders opens onto a deck over the new extension. By contrast to the ground floor the sunny deck has majestic views over the trees expansive green canopy to the beach and Chapman’s Peak beyond.
The new front door, an old Indian 6 panel, is set within a glass box that pushes out into the trees opposite the lounge. The entrance path was reconfigured to wind through the trees to reveal their experience on approach to the house. The outside bedroom over the garage was upgraded to a flat and new roof windows open it to the mystique of the canopy.
The hot water system is solar thermal and the old and the new structures now have new high levels of insulation. The living room spaces are warmed with a central double sided fireplace and the old burner was re-used in the study. North & West facing glass was specified with a thermal performance and the passive principles of shading and ventilation were applied. Classic wood post & lintel pergolas over the main deck and the upper deck conceal rough latte to cut the north sun.
The client’s eclectic retro style of furnishing set within the new modern open spaces with trees beyond makes for a simultaneously peaceful and dramatic experience.
Contractors
Contractor: APC Construction
Landscaper: Alan Dawson Gardens
Description
Contractors
Contractor: APC Construction
Landscaper: Alan Dawson Gardens
The Hetherington’s are carbon conscience and wanted a green solution to altering and adding to their old wood frame cottage set within a glorious milk-wood thicket.
The trees were sacrosanct and the principle brief was to maximize interaction with the magnificent collection of milkwood canopies, from above and below.
A range of options were investigated including demolition of the old cottage to improve positioning and plan shape coupled with a new green construction. But besides overshoot on the budget the demolition didn’t quite feel right to the client due to a conversation we had regarding green principles where the pivot was the that “the greenest building is often the one already standing”.
So we kept the wood cottage and clipped two new masonry structures onto it, an open plan living room extension to the North and a new bedroom & study extension to the West.
The new living room structure had to push out from the old house into the milk-woods. The full height corner openings slide back to reveal the magic of the trees and the dappled light coming through the canopy is experienced throughout the ground floor living area.
The upper level attic bedrooms and bathroom were combined to form a single open plan studio. From here a large dormer with sliders opens onto a deck over the new extension. By contrast to the ground floor the sunny deck has majestic views over the trees expansive green canopy to the beach and Chapman’s Peak beyond.
The new front door, an old Indian 6 panel, is set within a glass box that pushes out into the trees opposite the lounge. The entrance path was reconfigured to wind through the trees to reveal their experience on approach to the house. The outside bedroom over the garage was upgraded to a flat and new roof windows open it to the mystique of the canopy.
The hot water system is solar thermal and the old and the new structures now have new high levels of insulation. The living room spaces are warmed with a central double sided fireplace and the old burner was re-used in the study. North & West facing glass was specified with a thermal performance and the passive principles of shading and ventilation were applied. Classic wood post & lintel pergolas over the main deck and the upper deck conceal rough latte to cut the north sun.
The client’s eclectic retro style of furnishing set within the new modern open spaces with trees beyond makes for a simultaneously peaceful and dramatic experience.