House with a Red Addition
The renovation and extension of a small house in the Příbram region builds on the building’s long, gradual evolution. Originally, a single-storey livestock shed stood here, with a simple holiday cabin later built on top. The cabin was gradually adapted for permanent living without losing the visible traces of the various stages of its development. This natural capacity for change became the starting point for the design.
The owners, a family of four and friends of ours, approached us with a wish to adapt the house to their current way of life. The small living space no longer met their needs, and the house lacked both a direct connection to the garden and sufficient storage.
The house stands on the edge of a larger village, among loosely spaced family homes and agricultural buildings. We saw the new extension not as a structure intended to conceal or unify the original building, but as another addition. The new volume is clearly distinguished in both form and materials, leaving the history of the house legible.
The extension expands the main living space towards the garden. A large west-facing sliding window opens the interior onto a larch terrace with steps designed for sitting and is shaded by a fabric awning. The main entrance was also relocated to the extension, allowing us to reconfigure the layout of the original house, enlarge the bathroom and reorganise the kitchen. The new volume also incorporates the built-in storage that the house had long lacked.
The renovation, however, was not limited to the extension. The basement and attic of the original house were retained without major structural alterations, while the layout of the raised ground floor underwent a significant transformation. The house was insulated and fitted with new timber windows, new corrugated metal roofing and a new heating system with an air-to-water heat pump. The interior was complemented by a new kitchen, built-in pine plywood furniture, natural linoleum flooring and a swivelling wood-burning stove. The bathroom is finished in microcement.
The new section is a timber-frame structure with a ventilated façade. It is clad in red corrugated metal on the outside and lined with pine plywood on the inside. We chose corrugated metal as a simple, affordable and durable material that we could install ourselves, while giving this new layer of the house a contemporary, clearly recognisable character.
As with other projects of ours, we both designed and built the extension ourselves with the clients’ help—from the load-bearing structure and façade to the interior lining. Direct involvement in construction has long been part of our approach. On smaller, unconventional buildings, it allows us to realise structures and details for which suitable contractors are often very difficult to find at this scale. It also provides experience that informs subsequent projects—a deeper understanding of materials, construction methods and the work of craftspeople. We believe that theoretical education cannot replace this experience, and that taking part in construction creates opportunities to develop and refine the design in details and aspects that cannot be fully grasped from behind a computer.
The owners, a family of four and friends of ours, approached us with a wish to adapt the house to their current way of life. The small living space no longer met their needs, and the house lacked both a direct connection to the garden and sufficient storage.
The house stands on the edge of a larger village, among loosely spaced family homes and agricultural buildings. We saw the new extension not as a structure intended to conceal or unify the original building, but as another addition. The new volume is clearly distinguished in both form and materials, leaving the history of the house legible.
The extension expands the main living space towards the garden. A large west-facing sliding window opens the interior onto a larch terrace with steps designed for sitting and is shaded by a fabric awning. The main entrance was also relocated to the extension, allowing us to reconfigure the layout of the original house, enlarge the bathroom and reorganise the kitchen. The new volume also incorporates the built-in storage that the house had long lacked.
The renovation, however, was not limited to the extension. The basement and attic of the original house were retained without major structural alterations, while the layout of the raised ground floor underwent a significant transformation. The house was insulated and fitted with new timber windows, new corrugated metal roofing and a new heating system with an air-to-water heat pump. The interior was complemented by a new kitchen, built-in pine plywood furniture, natural linoleum flooring and a swivelling wood-burning stove. The bathroom is finished in microcement.
The new section is a timber-frame structure with a ventilated façade. It is clad in red corrugated metal on the outside and lined with pine plywood on the inside. We chose corrugated metal as a simple, affordable and durable material that we could install ourselves, while giving this new layer of the house a contemporary, clearly recognisable character.
As with other projects of ours, we both designed and built the extension ourselves with the clients’ help—from the load-bearing structure and façade to the interior lining. Direct involvement in construction has long been part of our approach. On smaller, unconventional buildings, it allows us to realise structures and details for which suitable contractors are often very difficult to find at this scale. It also provides experience that informs subsequent projects—a deeper understanding of materials, construction methods and the work of craftspeople. We believe that theoretical education cannot replace this experience, and that taking part in construction creates opportunities to develop and refine the design in details and aspects that cannot be fully grasped from behind a computer.
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