Modern vs traditional...

[mattyb]

Ok, I'm going to put myself in the firing line. I appreciate I may get some flack for asking the question and/or expressing my opinion...but here goes.

I'd love to here people's thoughts on introducing modern elements to period properties.

Obviously I only mean what is legal (i.e if that part of the building isn't listed).

Personally I am a huge fan of introducing modern luxuries in a complimentary way. I guess one example would be a modern extension with lots of glass, but built in a way that is complimentary to the original building.

I have a friend who is the opposite. He lives in a black and white property and I am pretty sure he even hates having a dishwasher installed.

 

[a twig]

For me - short answer is “it depends”.

Saw plenty of beautiful extensions around Bath that were modern but didn’t jar as they still used local materials, bath stone ashlar etc.

I’ve also seen some awful pastiche extentions where people have tried to make it appear like it was always there and failed - not a fan of those.

Equally seen too many steel and glass monstrosities that end up looking like visitor centres - likewise not a fan!

Personally I prefer an extension or alteration to be obviously new but sympathetic to the local vernacular - I know there are a few on here that will disagree though!

 

[Stevers]

Avoid any Architect with a big ego and a nice car. He will be the only person who makes any money out of your shiny new glass box.

 

[malcolm]

My house started off as a cottage shaped timber framed building around 1600, was extended in the early 1800s and again in 1920 when they built a new and fashionable facade in front of the old one. Then it was extended again in the 1950s. It's the modification over the years that makes the house interesting. Things like stairs that don't manage to go all the way upstairs.

I'm less keen on the 1950s modifications. Not just because of the style which is not yet in fashion again but because of cost savings made which increase maintenance frequency and the materials which reduce maintainability. There is no quality in them. Actually the earlier extensions were typically built on top of the foundations of earlier lean-to buildings with no foundations so there was some cost saving there also but the result is maintainable. The thing I most hate is people building stuff with no thought to maintenance. Like the new build next door that needed new windows after 8 years.

For me quality, functionality and maintainability are the things that make things beautiful. Once anything gets to 100 years old it'll be regarded as beautiful whatever the style.

 

[Cubist]

It's easy to forget sometimes but... we're making 'homes' not museum pieces. You must do whatever it takes to make your own... whatever that may be.

 

[Jblakes]

We are in the process of getting a glass extension on the side of our 1721 cottage, we still in planning permission stage (conservation area) our aim was to be modern but built will as much old stuff as possible. It looks like we are having some limestone pillars with glass kinda inbetween. Will look nice and blend in, plus we are having a balcony on top

 

[Emotionalrollercoaster]

I really like modern with old - particularly with internal modernisation eg beautiful, well maintained exposed brick with ultra modern kitchen etc. I think that modern glass/wood/steel extensions etc can look really good and the juxtaposition of the modern and old works well, but has to be really sensitively done - as twig says can look like visitor centres (such a great way of describing it!)

Sometimes showing where things have been modified/repaired is really lovely if it's done with care - a bit like kintsugi pottery.

 

[Cubist]

We also sometimes forget......that no matter what we may do and how well we may do it....... some future owner, or other, is going to bitch and moan about it whilst exposing all our little misdemeanours to the world.

 

[Kearn]

I have a friend who is the opposite. He lives in a black and white property and I am pretty sure he even hates having a dishwasher installed.

to play devils advocate, a timber framed building that’s been stood happily for close to 500 years, being painted black and white in the last 50+ is a modern intervention in my mind…!

 

[Cubist]

We are in the process of getting a glass extension on the side of our 1721 cottage, we still in planning permission stage (conservation area) our aim was to be modern but built will as much old stuff as possible. It looks like we are having some limestone pillars with glass kinda inbetween. Will look nice and blend in, plus we are having a balcony on top

The First Lady, not long after we moved in here, came up with the idea of a glazed panel covering the entire frontage of the building with the aim of circumventing the CO's insistence that double glazed windows were not acceptable. Personally, I rather like the juxtaposition of ancient and modern when done tastefully but... I was a trifle concerned about how the blazes I would maintain the frontage behind a sheet of glass I would need a 10ton crane to shift!

Not wishing to offend, it being more than my lifes worth to imply dubious taste or challenge the aesthetics status quo, I did ultimately dodge the bullet by suggesting that the heat build up indoors would likely be intolerable and akin to frying an ant under a magnifying glass.