Set in the Surrey Green belt, this house replaces a much smaller outdated bungalow which sat incongruously amongst a jumble of shrubs and overgrown rhododendrons.

We set out to design a new family home that would take advantage of the potential views out into the surrounding site and reinstate a more open and naturalistic landscape around the house that over recent years had become ill-defined and overgrown with non-native shrubs.

The long, low form of the new house was negotiated with the local planning authority and the increase in area justified by the demolition of several large unused outbuildings.

The house is characterised by the cantilevered white roof volume which shelters the primary living spaces from summer solar gain on the south façade and provides privacy to the north.

When viewed from a distance the horizontal form of the main façade juxtaposes dramatically with the surrounding pines and redwoods. A detached garage block to the north echoes the form of the main house and frames the driveway as you approach from the east.

Undertaken at previous practice Lees Munday Architects.