Sonning House

Project Information

This beautiful and characterful house, located in the heart of Sonning, Berkshire, has been the family home of our clients for over a decade.

The house was originally built in the 16th century as a terrace of two small cottages. Over the years, these cottages were amalgamated, reconfigured and extended multiple times. This resulted in a large property with a generous floor area, but one which was formed from a warren of small rooms.

First and foremost, the brief was to resolve the internal configuration issues, creating a better flow of spaces with more access to natural light. Second to this was considering an extension to the kitchen which could further open up the interior to the beautiful south facing garden.

A key challenge of working on historic buildings is the how the new interacts with the old. We believe that any new elements should be carefully designed to enhance the character of the existing property, rather than fight against it.

This is exemplified in the design of the rear extension where the external materials were selected to work harmoniously with the existing. A red brickwork plinth which continues to become a planter, a painted timber structure with oversized windows and a red-tinted zinc roof - a nod to the little tiled ‘hats’ seen elsewhere on the building above oriel windows.

Client Testimonial

‘We bought an old house in 2008. It had had multiple alterations and additions over the years. Many of the rooms were dark and cold. There were narrow corridors and low doors and the house flowed very poorly.

We had previously employed two architects to draw up plans to make our house beautiful. Having spent a lot of money with these architects we did not feel happy to go ahead with their plans.

After complaining to our friends about our situation we were lucky to be recommended Billy Sinclair. 

Right from the start we found him easy to work with. He listened to our desires and aspirations. He had a fantastic vision of what could be achieved coming up with ideas that we had not even thought of. He went through the planning stage illustrating how things would look with fantastic drawings and patient explanation.

During the next phase of the project Billy helped us get quotes from building companies and advised on the most promising company to award the contract to. He arranged the contract with the building company and managed the work over the next eighteen months. Although we had many decisions to make during this time Billy made things manageable and took a lot of the inevitable stress away from us.’

Project Data

Year
Completed 2023

Client
Private

Category
House Extension & Renovation

Location
Sonning, Berkshire

Contractor
PV James Construction

Photography
Robin Quarrelle