Sporn Construction completed various works on this large Victorian property in Oxford, including a complex new extension and basement and a full refurbishment.
The client initially came to us as their home had been converted to student flats, divided into many different bathrooms, bedrooms and corridors, and had been worn down by student living. Our client saw a blank canvas and wanted to give the house a new lease of life.
To achieve this, we completely gutted and reconfigured the building to contain bright, airy rooms with contemporary fittings, decor and furniture. A stand-out feature was the long, low down kitchen extension, clad in honey-toned Bath stone with floor to ceiling glazing and roofed in zinc and natural sedum.
Our client saw the potential to add a basement and so it was decided during the build to create one. Basement excavation and construction proved challenging, because of the narrow access way to the garden and the water table, but we overcame these problems.
For the renovation of the existing house, it was completely stripped back to bare brick. Original sliding sash windows were refurbished, bespoke joinery crafted and fitted, period fire places installed and plaster coving carefully replaced. The space was reconfigured to create light and generous spaces while retaining and enhancing the Victorian character. A skylight was added over the stairwell to flood the centre of the house with light, while a small bedroom was sacrificed to create a bigger and far more luxurious master bedroom.
Finally, the renovation included making the home more sustainable through the incorporation of solar panels, upgrading insulation to walls and ceilings, and giving the extension a green roof.
The project was a huge success with a very happy client. In fact, after this project we were hired to carry out multiple extensions nearby, which is a testament to the quality of the work.
We are proud to say that for this project we were named overall winners and winners of the Large Renovation project category at the national Master Builder Awards 2015. Read more about the awards here.