Hop Cottage was originally the working rooms for a conical Oast next door but was converted into a two-bedroom family home in the last century. AOMD has completed a small-scale intervention inspired by the landscape and working within the constraints of its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty site.Taking a minimal approach while enhancing the envelope of the original Surrey house, the use of locally sourced waste components drove its design.The plan has been reworked to remove an existing conservatory and establish a new central entrance. The original homes timber-clad living room has been enlarged and new propagation window added to support the clients passion for gardening.AdvertisementAn L-shaped extension replaces the dated, underperforming 1990s conservatory, which was resold, its footprint adapted to separate the steeply terraced garden to create three distinct garden rooms. Each of these has a sense of privacy formed through subtle angles in plan and a new chimney mediating between interior and exterior.A landscape design that creates different environments to encourage biodiverse species to thrive was one of the key drivers of the scheme. To the east, the steep site has been reconfigured to make a sunken courtyard for indigenous ferns, bird cherry and tropical begonias, while, to the west, a lower terrace has been created for soft wild grasses.To the north is an espalier wall to a small orchard and kitchen garden. This replaces a hardstanding, converting a large portion of the lawn to vegetated garden while working to shore up the garden against potential subsidence.Referencing Edwin Lutyens many extensions and Mackintoshs Hill House, sustainable and locally sourced waste materials have been used for the interior palette to add tactility and allow the new addition to engage with the historic structure.The project was self-built over 18 months by the clients on a budget of 70,000. Local waste streams were identified to minimise landfill: the conservatory was carefully removed and resold; the existing slab retained; the sites retaining structure was built using demolition waste; timber framing sourced from a local builders merchant; standard profiles used only; and rejected bricks used, sourced from within 10 miles.AdvertisementArchitects viewHop Cottage demonstrates the value of local collaboration, and how the careful reuse of material resources can be deftly and economically integrated in projects in a historic rural contexts. It reveals the potential for the development of a contemporary local vernacular.The project was built over an 18-month period by the owners on a shoestring budget of 70,000. By adopting a self-build approach, we worked in close collaboration with the owners to ensure re-use of materials, prioritising locally sourced and environmentally considered solutions throughout the process.The extension only slightly increases the footprint of the former conservatory, working predominantly within the existing house. We worked with the clients to identify local waste streams, which then drove the concept and spatial design for reconfiguring the scheme. To minimise landfill, an existing conservatory was removed and resold, with the new extension designed to sit on the existing slab, whilst the retaining structure to the steeply sloping site was constructed from the demolition materials.Timber framing was sourced from a local builders merchant, selecting standard profiles requiring minimal customisation, and we achieved a waterstruck-esque finish using the back, rough face of a cheaper brick type sourced from a yard specialising in rejects/over orders from larger sites 10 miles away. The design approach we adopted illustrates the value of local collaboration, resourcefulness, and innovative thinking within the constraints of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.In developing a scheme which enables the residents to consider their future mobility needs within their home, we worked with the owners to adopt a self-build approach to construction, and to use materials and fittings with long life in mind. Internally, the layout has been opened up to afford constant connection to the landscape beyond; there is an architectural playfulness in the edges between interior and exterior.Michael Dillon, director, AOMDProject dataStart on site September 2023CompletionNovember 2024Gross internal floor area 123m2 (existing house), 23m2 (extension)Form of contractTraditional, self-build by clientConstruction cost 70,000Construction cost per m2 2,500Architect AOMDExecutive architect Michael DillonClient PrivateDesign life 60 yearsEmbodied/whole-life carbon 448 kgCO2eq/m2, 354 kgCO2eq/m2 (including sequestration)