White House
Tucked into the North Wessex Downs National Landscape within a conservation area, White House has a history that predates its current form by centuries. Originally a row of three thatched cottages, two were lost to fire in the 1960s and rebuilt as a single dwelling. By the time the project began, the house had been badly modified over the years — small disconnected rooms, no modern facilities, and almost no relationship with the garden and landscape surrounding it.
Type
Private residential
Location
Hampshire
Scope
Full house renovation and extension
Materials
Oak, brick, slate, render, glass
The scheme involves a full structural overhaul with a new extension containing the kitchen, living, and dining space. A new oak staircase, positioned outside the existing footprint, resolves the awkward layout and connects naturally to the extension below. A ten-metre structural oak glazed screen floods the kitchen with light, while sliding doors with corner glazing open the main living space directly onto the garden. Upstairs, the master bedroom is triple aspect with a picture window framing views across the valley.
Externally, the existing building is retained in white render, with the extension clearly articulated as something new through muted brickwork and oak cladding. Inside, unfinished lime plaster walls, herringbone terracotta flooring, and pale oak joinery create a warm, textured interior rooted in natural materials.