Le Coinsteau is a fantastic family property located in St. Martin, Guernsey.
Over the past few years Le Coinstaeu has benefitted from a stunning makeover which has seen the property redesigned and reworked to create a contemporary family home.
The brief for the project was to transform an outdated 1960s house, into a modern living space which could take into account the needs of its inhabitants. Using a carefully considered approach, the design repositioned the kitchen so that it could become the hub of the home, with the remaining living spaces working together in harmony.
Ravenscroft Construction Ltd was the main contractor on the project, whilst Paul Langlois Architects provided all architectural services. Work began on the project in 2010 and reached completion in 2011.
During the refurbishment work an existing extension was demolished and replaced with a brand new extension which helped to connect living areas with the house’s pool and garden. A new entrance porch and garage/storage area was also added along the north elevation.
Discussing the project in more detail, Paul Langlois of Paul Langlois Architects, said:
“Like many properties of this time the existing house was no longer suitable for modern day living. The kitchen was isolated, the dining room was separate, and the living areas didn’t relate to the garden or the pool. An extension that was added during the 1980s was accessed via a door under the stairs. The property didn’t have a great layout, but the shell was fine, so this project was really about improving the internal layout and the connectivity to the external spaces. Enhancing the environmental efficiency of the building was also a priority.
“We took down the extension, moved the kitchen and dining area to the rear to address the garden and pool area. Upstairs the bedrooms were pretty much kept as they were, with just a few changes to create more storage and to add a shower room for the master bedroom.”
Additional work included installing insulated dry lining to the existing walls and reroofing the house with high levels of insulation. New, high specification windows were installed throughout the existing house and new extension. These improvements along with incorporating passive solar design features in the extension such as the use of thermal mass storage, night time ‘purging’ and natural ventilation and light to control the living environment, have transformed Le Coinsteau into an energy efficient home.
Paul said:
“We had an excellent working relationship with our client and we had a great contractor in Ravenscroft Construction Ltd. The project ran smoothly and from the very start we knew the brief and exactly what we needed to do. It all fell into place quite quickly.”
Such was the success of the project; Le Coinsteau was nominated for an award at the Guernsey Design Awards 2014. The project joined La Croisee, La Vista and Orchard Hill in the category of Best Residential Renovation/Extension.
Paul commented:
“The awards allow practices to get designs and architecture out to the general public, making people aware that there is some great design work going on in Guernsey. To be shortlisted is important as it helps to showcase our work and our name and that’s great.”
