Wealden Times | WT258 | November 2023 | Christmas Gift Supplement inside

This page: The plan chest was originally meant to go into the kitchen,
but it was too deep for the position, so George and Mel incorporated
it into the staircase Right: A door in the downstairs loo conceals a
private bathroom for when clients have left at the end of the day
pine tongue-and-groove floorboards and much shovelling of
concrete. “George and I had to angle grind all the grooves out
and put them outside somewhere where they wouldn’t warp.
We pulled something like 4,000 nails out in order to preserve
the floor joists. Then used 60 tonnes of crushed concrete to
fill the void and pumped in a 4” pad of concrete all through.
We re-enforced it and then added in 8” of insulation, put
in the underfloor heating then a self-levelling screed.”
The floor has been sealed and the studio section painted
white. Kilim rugs bring warmth and texture. “The screed
is designed to have a floor put on top,” Mel explains, “but
it feels soft to walk on and it’s not cold underfoot at all, in
fact with the underfloor heating it stays lovely and warm. It’s
like an eco-home – the windows are triple glazed, we have
an air source heat pump and with the 8” of insulation, our
energy usage is really low – it’s like a new build house.”
Up on the mezzanine it’s cosy too – big enough for a bed,
an office area and a large format digital printer, but the very
best thing about it is the view through the Velux windows on
the end wall, which look out across the beautiful Wealden
countryside. A low chair can be strategically placed in
55
priceless-magazines.com