homebuilding.co.uk 185T
he Cornish coast is no stranger to trailblazing
design, with traditional properties eagerly
snapped up by those hoping to transform
them into homes that fully embrace the dramatic
and, at times, demanding landscapes that they were
built on. And the home of Sue and Paul Landreth,
designed by Devon-based architect Stan Bolt, has
certainly risen above and beyond this challenge.
The house Paul and Sue purchased back in 2013
was a typical Cornish building, constructed from
local granite in 1890. While the original property
was in sound condition for its age, it had been
unsympathetically extended over the years, once
during the 1920s and again in the 1970s. Located
on a gently sloping site, the house is graced with
unbroken panoramic views to the western Atlantic
approaches of the Cornish coast.
“The house was very run-down inside and out,”
saysPaul.“Butstructurallyit wassound.Wemade
thedecisiontoretainthehouseratherthandemolish
it —although starting from scratch would have been
cheaper from a VAT perspective. Knocking it down
would have seemed like vandalism.”
Paul and Sue were drawn to the designs of award-
winning architect Stan Bolt, who has designed a
wealth of homes around the Devon and Cornish
coasts and is well-versed in the challenges exposed
sites can present.Respecting the landscape
“The landscape here is rugged, wild and just
phenomenal,” says Stan. “The building is very
much of the site and archetypal of the domestic
architecture at the time it was built. It provided a
good starting point for the rest of the design.”
The decision was taken to demolish both thehomeoWnersPaulandSueLandreth
ProjecTExtensionandrenovation
locaTionCornwall
buildTimeSept 2014 – May 2016
size366m^2
PloTcosT£725,000(March 2013)
buildcosT UndisclosedPRojecT noTes