THE OLD DAIRY
THE OLD DAIRY
Transforming a building used as a dairy with a sloping troughed floor, stalls and feeding trough into a beautiful dwelling fitted well with the local parish council seeking to meet housing requirements to maximise use of existing derelict buildings.
The incredible existing volume of the building was a golden opportunity to create a central double-height living space with open fire and chimney around which all the other spaces would be organised. From this space a kitchen and dining space and toilet to the south, and above a bedroom and bathroom accessed from stairs and balcony overlooking the voluminous space. And to the northern reaches, a smaller ‘snug’ was created off the main living space to give intimate space in front of the wood burning stove for those cold winter nights, and leading through to the master bedroom and bathroom. Further stairs then led to a large balcony overlooking the main home space, and a further bedroom and bathroom.
Turner & Hoskins were able to include sliding/folding doors leading from kitchen to garden, areas of glazing around the dining area and lounge, an area of glass in the master bedroom and a new gable window to the first floor northern bedroom to exploit stunning Sussex countryside views, despite restrictive planning requirements to retain existing window styles and sizes. There was careful coordination with an ecologist (batman) and the planning department to ensure minimal disturbance to protected species. The final construction included a number of specific ‘bat caves’ at the gable end and main roof to provide habitation for pipistrelle bats.
