Keystone Architecture's Timeless Village Masterpiece

Explore the seamless fusion of modern comfort and historic aesthetics in Keystone Architecture's latest village residence. Crafted with precision, Gowercroft timber windows play a starring role, offering timeless elegance with their traditional design and high-performance features. Find out the story of this picturesque village home, where architecture meets innovation.

A modern house in a historic country village

This detached house, situated in a picturesque village within a conservation area, was designed by Keystone Architecture to replace a converted forge dating from the nineteenth century.

As the original building had been extensively altered and modernised in the mid 20th century with an entirely new roof, modern dormer windows and a poorly designed extension, the architect proposed that a sympathetically designed new build would blend in far better with the surrounding Estate cottages.

Sympathetic design

Planning consent was given for a two-storey house with a double gable roof and a detached double garage, designed to closely complement the neighbouring properties.

Local materials were used, where possible, including Lincolnshire coursed limestone laid in straw mortar, red/brown brickwork with traditional quoins and decorative detailing, and a clay pantile roof supporting an ornate brick chimney.

White Georgian style timber windows with stone cills and flat arches to the window heads in matching brickwork also reflected the style of the surrounding Estate cottages.

Historically authentic windows

For the owners, Gowercroft’s Hardwick flush triple casement windows with astragal bars, and Melbourne external doors in sustainable Accoya® offered the right balance of traditional proportions and sightlines with modern levels of performance.

Due to the property’s location close to a busy road, they specified ‘Silence’ acoustic glass. The 8.8mm and 6.4mm glass panes are designed to achieve a sound reduction performance of RW37dB, which would help eliminate the noise of the passing traffic.

The windows’ high level of thermal performance of 1.2W/m2K for a typical window added significantly to the overall energy efficiency of the property, delivering a conformable living environment for the owners.

‘Out of the box’ thinking

During the survey, it was established that the stone window openings were not wide enough to accommodate three individual heavy casement windows in a way that would meet fire escape regulations Approved Document B. The Gowercroft team therefore proposed some technical adjustments to the design.

The solution was to manufacture a single, top opening casement with two vertical muntins and three individual glass panes, reducing the mullion widths from 110mm to 58mm.

In this way, the entire window could be opened in full in compliance with the Building Regulations whilst maintaining the appearance of traditional window configuration.

A historic new build

Jon Bayley, managing director of Keystone Architecture said: “the Gowercroft team understood exactly what look were looking to achieve, and through their ingenuity of thinking and traditionally styled high-performance products, they have helped us create a new property that blends seamlessly with its surroundings both preserving and enhancing the character of this conservation area”.