The Brief
Many of our clients relocate to Kent from London and other regions in the UK, but our first client came from Moscow. Looking to settle their family in Kent and to educate their six children at The King’s School, Canterbury, they required an architect to design and oversee the extension and refurbishment of the house they had recently purchased. At the time our founder James Clague was an Associate at Clague Architects LLP. They were instructed to provide full architectural services for the project. Discover more about life in Kent…
The House
The house, a former residential home, required a complete re-design to provide the accommodation and quality that the client expected. Time was of paramount importance as the family was in rental accommodation for a limited period.
Planning
Having gained planning and building regulation consents Clague Architects obtained competitive quotes for the building work and construction began, just 12 weeks after the initial introduction. Clague administered a building contract between the client and a local contractor. Throughout the construction period frequent visits were made to the site to monitor progress, quality and budget.
The Transformation
The house was totally transformed from a tired residential home to a stunning 10-bedroom luxury home of exceptional quality. Several carefully designed modest extensions replaced the previous unsightly extensions. The aim of this was to improve the flow of the house and provide the required accommodation. The quality of finishes and joinery was exquisite. Work included a large kitchen and a library lined with purpose made shelving. The large roof was completely re-engineered and replaced to accommodate two further en-suite bedrooms and a cinema. Furthermore, the garage was converted into staff accommodation. Landscape architects we instructed to create the approach and garden fitting a house of this stature.
Client Relationship
Throughout the design and building process James Clague spent a great deal of time with the Russian client. The relationship and the service provided developed to include tasks such as the management of household staff, assisting with the children’s schooling administration, making travel arrangements and helping with immigration matters.
After less than a year living in their new home, the family felt well settled in the UK. They then decided that they would like to move to a more substantial house in the countryside surrounding Canterbury. Discover how we helped to find their dream home in Kent in our second case study: Oxney Court.