Sibford Ferris is a small, old rural village in Oxfordshire.  Although there are some new builds in the area, they are built with the traditional Cotswold aesthetic to fit in with the existing properties.

When Jan and Diana Thompson looked to develop an idyllic wooded plot on the outskirts of the village into a rather grand forever home, with ample space for them to retire and have friends and family over, they ran into issues getting planning permission.

Working with Hayward Smart Architects, the Thompsons were eventually granted permission to create their contemporary interpretation of a traditional Oxfordshire home, but it came with some stipulations.

In total, the planning officer imposed 19 conditions and a requirement that the design should be of architectural merit, not suburban in nature and, critically, it must reflect the vernacular of the surrounding buildings.

With the surrounding woods, the Thompsons and their architect’s immediately identified fenestration as a “make or break” element of the build.  The orientation of the house meant that rooflights were going to be necessary to maximise light.  Another chief concern was thermal performance, because they didn’t want their efforts to maximise light to result in an over-heated interior.

Of course, when you want to meet planning stipulations that require a contemporary take on traditional designs while maximising light and thermal performance, there is only one brand of rooflights that you can turn to. Having whole window U-values of 1.4Wm2K and providing a sleek, frameless finish, the use of a combination of the Conservation Plateau and the neo rooflights from The Rooflight Company were perfect for the job in terms of both aesthetics and thermal performance.

The finished building is absolutely stunning, and the Thompsons have the contemporary-classic forever home they dreamed of.

To find out more about The Rooflight Company’s full product portfolio, visit www.therooflightcompany.co.uk