Premier Construction

Wright House Ipswich Suffolk

Wright House
Written by Roma Publications

Wright House

Wright House is an extension and renovation of a 1970s bungalow situated in Ipswich, Suffolk. The design completely re-orientates the layout of the dwelling reconnecting the building with the street front and linear plot.
Work on the renovation was undertaken by Hoopers Architects ltd alongside main contractor A.C. Harding. Work started in March 2018 and was completed in October 2018.

A dramatic corridor runs along the full length of the side of the existing footprint and a view to the rear courtyard can be seen from the entrance. Part way along the corridor it opens up into a new staircase with a tall Douglas Fir balustrade which provides access to a new loft bedroom. At the end of the corridor, which directly connects to the rear extension, the main living space is revealed. This combines the lounge, dining and kitchen area which is ideal for entertaining a large group of guests.

The design is a result of careful consideration of form utilising skyline views from within the town centre of Ipswich and identifying potential spaces to inhabit and expand into. The rear extension takes the form of an asymmetric gable at first floor level which reflects the dominant feature of the existing bungalow and is sensitive to the heights of the neighbouring buildings.

Ross Warren, architect at Hoopers Architects said: “The whole process was really successful because we all (client, contractor, and architect) get on very well. We worked with the client Will at Jacob Bailey and carried out a lot of feasibility studies on their building in Ipswich and we’ve worked with the contractor Mark on numerous different projects throughout Suffolk.

“The client had decided to go down the negotiated tender route at an early stage. We had to work really hard to value engineer the original scheme to reduce the final figures by almost a third! Part of that process was managing expectations and looking for alternatives to expensive high quality finishes whilst trying to retain the quality feel; and the many meetings analysing cost breakdowns. I think because we’d come up with a pretty good idea early on, we were able to spend less time on site and let the client develop a good relationship with the individual contractors. We got involved with some of the more complicated aspects and had fun convincing the client to run with the Douglas Fir staircase!”

The clients, Will and Fiona, were instrumental in the construction process, working on the house at weekends to save on costs, sourcing and specifying the majority of the fixtures, fittings and final floor finishes.
The project was recently awarded a RIBA Suffolk Craftsmanship Commendation 2019.

Wright House

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