Seascape

Seascape’s prime location on Guernsey’s stunning west coast offered plenty of inspiration for the architect designing this new build property. Its owners provided James Gavey with a brief for a house that would combine modern living with plenty of future proofing for their later years. The result – a home that met all those requirements while taking full advantage of its scenic location.

When James Gavey was asked to design a house for the plot that Seascape now sits on, the rundown, dated bungalow previously on the site offered little inspiration. Fortunately, the location of the plot and the owners’ brief gave the architect the opportunity to create something much more attractive.

For the new owners, there were some important factors to consider with the new design. They wanted the house to be on two levels, but they also wanted to plan for a ‘lifetime’ home, which would allow them to still access and enjoy all parts of the house if their mobility became impaired. They also required four sizeable bedrooms as well as a double garage and plenty of living space.

For James, it was an exciting challenge: “It was quite a demanding brief, particularly to fit a four-bedroom house on a site of that size. Additionally, the houses in that area are all set fairly low into the landscape, so we couldn’t disrupt that too significantly with the new design. We had to be fairly sensitive in the way we approached the new building to ensure it was in keeping with the area, while also taking full advantage of its lovely location.”

That was done in a number of ways, including lowering the site to enable the two floors required and designing the roof in a sensitive fashion that reduced the ridge level and made the house less intrusive in the landscape. For James, that all helped when it came to the planning process: “We were delighted to have no particular issues with this project when it came to planning. We worked with the planners from the preapplication process onwards and they listened to what we were trying to achieve and helped us reach that.”

The final plans saw permission granted for a four-bedroom house set over two levels with a double garage, parking and outside space. To take full advantage of the coastal views, reverse living was a key part of the design along with copious amounts of glazing to the first floor, all carefully designed to ensure every part of the house maximises its aspect.

Upstairs, the house provides a kitchen, a large living room, study and an ensuite bedroom as well as a separate toilet and a seating area on an extended landing space. Downstairs are three bedrooms (two of which are ensuite), a

TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE COASTAL VIEWS, REVERSE LIVING WAS A KEY PART OF THE DESIGN ALONG WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF GLAZING TO THE FIRST FLOOR, ALL CAREFULLY DESIGNED TO ENSURE EVERY PART OF THE HOUSE MAXIMISES ITS ASPECT.

separate bathroom and a utility room. From the main hall, there is access to the courtyard garden and the double garage.

But while the house met all the requirements the owners had set out, there was the other important factor to consider, as James explained: “The design needed to make sure that the owners could adapt their living for the future. A key part of that was installing a lift in the property, along with an ensuite bedroom on the first floor. That ensured that the owners can live on one level of the house if they require to do so, and can also easily access it while still enjoying the benefits of the property and its location.”

With planning permission granted, construction was able to begin on the property and work started in November 2019 with the demolition

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of the old bungalow. Main contractor Infinity Construction had been involved with the project from early on in the process. Joint managing director, Paul Nobes, explained how their input was important: “We aim to support our clients from the start to the finish of a project. When a client first comes to us, we will take them through exactly what to expect from the experience – from advice on how much the build is likely to cost to analysing exactly how they want to live in the property. It’s really important that the builder and architect can work together on that, and we pride ourselves on our approach.

“Throughout the project, we worked closely with the client. John [Nobes, joint managing director at Infinity Construction] was very involved with the interior design side of the house. He helped the client imagine what it would be like to live there, and as the build evolved and we had more COSTS WERE CAREFULLY MONITORED THROUGHOUT CONSTRUCTION TO ENSURE THEY STAYED ON TRACK, WITH SAVINGS MADE WHERE POSSIBLE TO MITIGATE EXTRA EXPENSE ELSEWHERE.

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information about their lifestyle, we changed and adapted aspects of the house to make sure it worked perfectly for them. The kitchen layout and living room and study layouts have all been carefully designed by John to make sure everything from the seating areas to the lighting suits the clients now and also in the future.”

While late amendments can often prove disastrous to a project’s budget, that was not the case with Seascape. Costs were carefully monitored throughout construction to ensure they stayed on track, with savings made where possible to mitigate extra expense elsewhere.

As with many developments though, initial investment can mean long-term savings and the contractors didn’t scrimp when

We’re proud to have worked on Seascape

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OUTSIDE SPACE

With the west coast on the doorstep, the outside areas of the property were designed to be in keeping with its seaside location.

Guernsey Gardens was responsible for the landscaping of Seascape and was given a brief to keep the outside areas looking harmonious with the coastal area.

For James, it was another successful part of the project: “The planning for the outside space was looked at in detail as we were required to provide a landscaping scheme to the Planning Department when we were looking for approval for our plans. As with the rest of the project, communication was key and the landscaping work went very smoothly as we had an excellent project team in place.

“The end result certainly adds to the attractiveness of the property and works very well with its location while offering the owners a fairly low maintenance outside space that suits them well.”

it came to thermal efficiency, as James explained: “The house is very high-performing in terms of its build. We installed highperforming glazing and we exceeded regulations in terms of insulation and air tightness. While the house isn’t built to Passivhaus standards, it is almost at that level so is very efficient. Obviously the location of the house on the west coast means that it can be very exposed to the elements so it was important that the windows, for example, were very high quality.”

Elsewhere, costs were managed through pragmatic construction choices. A stepped raft foundation provided the base to traditional blockwork, which was the most cost-effective option. The hipped roof allowed the THE TEAM MADE SUCH GOOD PROGRESS THAT THE BUILD WAS COMPLETED TO ITS ORIGINAL ONE-YEAR DEADLINE – COMING IN NOT ONLY ON TIME BUT UNDER BUDGET ridges to be set down to comply with planning requirements, while a slate roof finish tied the house in with the area.

Like any project completed recently, Covid clearly posed its own challenges to the construction of Seascape. But, as Paul explained, they used the lockdown as constructively as possible: “Prior to the lockdown we had already been very proactive with regard to purchasing materials in advance and getting them to the site to be ready for when they were needed. During the shutdown, we ensured we used that time to order materials four months in advance of when we were expecting to need them. We wanted to make certain that everything was on island and on site at the right time and avoid any delays, which stood us in very good stead when we started work again.

“As far as the construction went, the lockdown occurred at a relatively good point in the project to stop work. We had the groundworks down and had half blocked the walls, with work about to start on the roof. As soon as we were allowed back on site, we had two people there and we were able to make good progress.”

In fact, the team made such good progress that the build was completed to its original one-year deadline – coming in not only on time but under budget, and giving its new owners their dream home designed to last them a lifetime.

THE CONTRACTORS

• JG Architecture Ltd • CBL Consulting • Infinity Construction • Davies Associates • JF Construction • DRB • Guernsey Metals • M Squared Carpentry • C Eborall Roofing • P3 • Eco Screed • West Coast Joinery • Window Service Centre • Jason Regnard Decoration • Adie Exall Stonemasons • Eco Installations • Island Electrics • Evolution • GFF • CucineZeroNine • Stainless Steel Fabrications • Guernsey Gardens

A SATISFIED CLIENT

While those involved in the project are certainly happy with the end result, those who most matter are the ones living it. Luckily, the owners of the property are even more delighted with their new home …

“James Gavey was indirectly responsible for an introduction to purchase a wonderful location on the west coast for our dream home. Subsequently, we invited JG Architecture to design a building that suited our requirements. We were consulted on a regular basis and ended up with what you now see, a gorgeous house. With very little objection, the planners and Building Control agreed with the submitted design drawings.

“Our choice of builder was again influenced by James, whose recommendation of Infinity Construction was a masterstroke. Having negotiated a build price, Infinity started construction on 11 November 2019 with the promise of us being able to take occupancy exactly one year later. Even though we had the intervention of a six-week lockdown, we moved in on the date agreed. The quality of work and the attention to detail could not be faulted, and the icing on the cake was that the project was completed well under budget.

“Many complimentary comments have been made to us since moving in and we can only praise both JG Architecture and Infinity Construction for their professionalism and customer relations.”