Donald and Anne Alden have transformed their tired semi-detached Devon bungalow into a show-stopping two storey contemporary home – in a design which reveals spectacular views of the countryside
TEXT Debbie Jeffery
IMAGES Tom Hargreaves
“One minute we had a bungalow, the next we had a pile of rubble,” recalls Donald Alden of his family’s Salcombe home. “We’d never tackled a building project before, so it was unnerving to effectively demolish our life savings and start again, with just one main wall left standing.”
With Donald and his wife, Anne, determined to update the tired single-storey holiday bungalow they had owned for 30 years, one factor limited their options: the building is semi-detached. With no hope of demolishing and rebuilding, the couple knew that any changes would need to be in keeping with both the wider setting and the property next-door.
They had purchased their modest bungalow thirty years before, after searching for a holiday home in the area. “I first fell in love with Salcombe back in 1976, when I joined my family for a holiday in the town,” recalls Donald. “I was nineteen at the time, and met Anne shortly after at university.”
The couple married in 1981 and had three children together. “We found that taking small children away to far-flung places on holidays could be stressful and expensive,” says Donald. “Devon’s South Hams is so beautiful, and we had enjoyed some wonderful times there over the years, so we decided to use our savings to buy a holiday home in the UK instead.”
Located right at the top of Salcombe, enjoying far-reaching views of rolling Devon countryside to distant Dartmoor, the bungalow they found was empty and in a poor condition, making it affordable to the family. They inherited furniture with the property and then gradually made improvements as funds allowed.
“It was a big step for us, and we had to take out an extra mortgage on our existing home in Hertfordshire in order to buy the bungalow,” says Donald. “Later, we replaced the kitchen and bathroom but took our time, because we were never going to let out the bungalow to others on a commercial basis.”
The single-storey brick property had been solidly built in the 1960s, with a compact garage, a kitchen, one bathroom, a separate living room, two bedrooms and a dining room which Donald and Anne used as a third bedroom. They enjoyed spending time together as a family in Salcombe, which is situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the banks of the Kingsbridge Estuary and has been named Britain’s most expensive seaside town. Renowned as a holiday hotspot, the area is a mecca for those who enjoy sailing and water sports.
“The children learnt to sail dinghies during their holidays,” says Donald. “Then, 20 years ago, we all voted to buy our first basic boat, and although we were nervous at first, it really completed the whole Salcombe experience.”
The children had grown up finding holiday jobs in the Salcombe area, and are extremely fond of the town, but after many years of providing relaxed holiday accommodation for the family, the bungalow was beginning to show its age and required extensive renovation.
“We were heading towards retirement, and knew we’d need to invest considerable money on the wiring, windows, kitchen and bathroom,” says Anne. “We love the location, though, and our plan was to spend more time there as a couple with visiting family, but the bungalow wasn’t really suited to long-term living.”
Exploring a major redevelopment led the couple to Barc Architects through a friend, who recommended the practice. “We did the sensible thing and approached several architects, but it was Caroline and her team at Barc who impressed us with their enthusiasm and ideas,” recalls Donald.
Caroline Shortt is an award-winning chartered architect and the director of Barc Architects, who specialise in the design and delivery of contemporary buildings, extensions, renovations and interiors in the south west. “For me, buildings are all about the people who occupy them, and I love getting to know my clients, learning about their lives, passions and interests, and using this knowledge to create an individual design tailored specifically for them,” she says.
Donald and Anne had never previously tackled a building project, and were led by Barc on the design. The property needed to be in keeping with its surroundings, taking full advantage of far-reaching views to the rear. It was important to introduce plenty of natural light, as well as much needed off-road parking and smart storage solutions throughout – providing ample space to host visiting family.
“Initially, we explored the possibility of constructing a flat-roofed two-storey extension,” says Caroline. “However, given that Melliker is semi-detached, it was essential that the finished home would sit harmoniously alongside its neighbours. Therefore, we adapted these plans to incorporate a pitched slate roof design to accommodate two new bedrooms and a bathroom for family and guests upstairs. Internally, we retained most of the existing walls, and extended the bungalow towards the rear with a glazed, flat-roofed dining area, which is open plan to the main kitchen and living space.”
The former garage was transformed into an inviting entrance hall, crowned by a new skylight, and the newly created kitchen-dining area opens seamlessly onto a rear terrace, establishing a fluid connection to the outdoor space. The master bedroom and a snug were included towards the front of the house, while on the new first floor two additional bedrooms and a bathroom have been added to accommodate visiting family and friends, as the property will not be let out on a commercial basis.
“From the moment we met Caroline Shortt and her team, we knew we were in safe hands,” Anne recalls. “We told them that we wanted to turn our holiday home into a proper home, and how we thought this might be achieved. They assuaged our concerns about potential planning limitations and asked us to trust them, which fortunately we did. Their suggestions invariably saved us money and always improved the property, so we cannot thank them enough.”
The planners approved the design, which involved creating a new first floor in timber frame and extending the ground floor in blockwork, clad in cedar boarding and an insulated render system. Party wall agreements were then secured from the neighbours on both sides.
“Everyone told us that we’d need a project manager, but we soon realised that this wasn’t the case after being introduced to our builder, Will Lansdale of Lansdale Building,” says Donald. “We’ve always trusted our gut instinct on these things, but after meeting with Will we decided it would be sensible to interview another builder. This only served to confirm that we were making the right choice with Will, who was recommended to us by our architects. Not only is he passionate about building, but he lives locally and is deeply committed to the community.”
Lansdale Building took responsibility for the demolition work, which involved taking down all but the front external wall of the bungalow. “Seeing our home reduced to rubble was sobering,” says Donald, “and the fact that lockdown was introduced the day after work began meant that site visits were impossible for us, and we needed to rely on phone and video calls with our team from 250 miles away.”
The builders adhered to strict Covid regulations on site, completing the groundworks and preparing trench-fill foundations for the extensions. Structural steelwork was introduced to support what remained of the building; new walls and roofs were completed; windows and doors installed, and the exterior finished in a combination of crisp insulated render and
cedar boarding.
“I had suggested traditional New England style clapboard, fixed horizontally and painted light blue, but Caroline assured us that vertically-hung cedar boards would create a more contemporary finish as well as being low maintenance, as it would fade and weather to a soft grey colour,” says Donald. “We were happy to be led by her, and trusted our builder implicitly. The attention to detail was incredible, and we were so impressed by the quality of workmanship.”
It was the builders who recommended that the couple should invest in new internal doors, rather than reusing the existing ones, which were showing signs of wear and tear. Donald and Anne had worried about the impact of Covid on costs and the availability of materials, but fortunately the builders ordered ahead and managed to avoid most of these issues, using mainly local trades and suppliers to complete the project.
Glass plays an important role in the design, and it was Anne who expressed a wish for the rear of the house to be almost entirely glazed to appreciate the views, whereas previously only three small windows had looked out onto the surrounding countryside. Fixed and sliding aluminium doors were specified, with timber replacement windows to the front elevation, and skylights dropping additional light onto the dining area and landing.
“Building right beside other homes during lockdown did fill us with guilt, when people were trying to enjoy time out in their gardens and make the most of the good weather, but our neighbours were so understanding – particularly the owner of the attached bungalow,” says Donald. “To allay fears of overlooking, we invited the relevant neighbours on site as soon as the new bedroom level was completed, so that they could go upstairs and see our outlook for themselves. Since completion, we’ve received many compliments on the design from local people.”
Externally, the property is now unrecognisable, and the interior has also been transformed with the removal and repositioning of walls, which has dramatically improved the layout and flow. The entire house was also rewired and newly plumbed, with underfloor heating installed in several rooms.
“Our project didn’t qualify as a new build, despite only leaving one wall standing, because we were using existing elements such as the foundations, so it was categorised as a remodel and extension, which meant that we did need to pay VAT,” says Donald. “Overall, we spent around £400,000 on the building and remodelling work, with additional money for the fit-out, including the kitchen.”
Matching the colour of the kitchen island to other paintwork has created a cohesive feel, and although the couple chose muted internal shades, with predominantly white walls for most rooms, they followed the advice of the painter, who suggested a darker and more dramatic colour for the snug to the front of the house.
Donald found the grey plank-effect ceramic tiles, which have been laid over underfloor heating through many of the rooms as a hard-wearing and practical flooring. His suggestion of an open tread staircase was vetoed, however, and instead a specialist carpenter crafted the substantial feature staircase.
“We moved into the completed house in 2022, and the snagging list since then has been minuscule,” says Anne. “Without exception, every member of our team has been fantastic, and they all worked together from start to finish to deliver a home which surpasses our expectations and has allowed us to breathe new life into a property that means so much to us as a family. We didn’t want to create a show home, and although the interiors are fairly pared back and minimal, it is most definitely a place where we feel relaxed.”