Garden House
Surrey
Architects: Roderick James Architects
Engineers: I.W.Payne & Co.
Highlights: Shortlisted for Best Oak Frame House at the Build It Awards 2024
Set within rural Surrey, the project comprises a new oak-framed home and accompanying outbuilding. It’s a design that feels at home in its countryside setting while echoing the character of nearby traditional buildings.
Planning requirements restricted the build to one and a half storeys but the layout still accommodates two generously sized first-floor bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Their windows look out over the neatly kept garden and stretch toward fields lying beyond the property.
Throughout the interior, the exposed green oak frame adds texture and warmth, giving the new home a crafted, timeless presence.
Inside, the house adopts a semi-open plan arrangement that suits the client’s day-to-day living but can readily expand to host the extended family. At the centre, a well-placed staircase draws daylight down through the core of the building, brightening the entrance and main living areas.
