Portfolio:

River House, Wraysbury

Three storey home, basement pool & garage with accommodation over:

We started this exciting journey for a new dwelling on the banks of the Thames in Wraysbury just over a year ago.

As is the case with every project, it started as dream in the heads (and hearts :o) of our clients – it was then our job to translate them; first into a workable brief and then through trial and error through the design process, through numerous iterations, into the final solution – balancing a host of different requirements. We included a very early concept 3D view, which was very useful, both to help us develop the design but critically to help the client to visualise something that is definitely not traditional!

It has taken this long as quite rightly our client took our advice to pre-consult with a comprehensive list of experts to ensure we avoided as many unpleasant surprises as possible, which should mean a smoother, quicker & more accurately costed process going forward.

· Planning Consultant – Ensuring throughout the process that the proposals developed with a thorough understanding all of the Local Authorities relevant policies.

· Flood Consultant – Ensuring the designs comply with flood policy as the site abuts a river.

· Structural Engineer – Ensuring a practical, buildable proposal as the contemporary design is partially on stilts to raise it above the 1:10 flood levels.

· Energy Consultant – Ensuring that the proposed building is both energy efficient and with large areas of glass can function in the warming climate without the need for expensive cooling equipment.

· Basement Specialist – Initial proposals included a basement pool, a specialist field, especially when it’s proposed adjacent to a river and in a flood zone!

· Quantity Surveyor – Possibly the most fundamental aspect – to ensure throughout that our proposals are constantly cost checked, to enable the client to make design decisions based on empirical evidence (rather than “ooh let’s not do that stair/rooflight/etc – it ‘sounds’ expensive”)

It’s still a long way to go but with the preparation and work that has already gone into this stunning project – this is certainly a big milestone!

We’re looking forward to updating you in a couple of months (subject to LA timescales…)

Please do get in touch if you’ve been dreaming of your own project and we will be delighted to discuss it with you and help you make it reality!