GLAZED
GABLE
A Spacious, Light-Filled, Oak-Framed Replacement Home near Haslemere, Surrey
Sector
Residential
Location
Hammer Vale, Hampshire
Status
Completed
A three bedroom chalet bungalow near Haslemere, replaced with a new home: four bedrooms, a double height oak and glass entrance and more than twice the floor space. East Hampshire District Council approved it in December 2024.
The house sits in Hammer Vale, in open countryside on the Hampshire and Surrey border, across the lane from Bramshott Common.
The old house was about 141 m², with a garage and shed beside it. The bedrooms sat under low eaves, and the layout made little use of the south facing garden.
The brief asked for a real sense of arrival, a sociable kitchen that opens to the garden, a snug, two studies and bedrooms with full head height. Starting again was the only way to give it all of that.
The oak framed entrance rises two storeys, so the hall fills with light and the oak staircase is the first thing you see.
Can you replace a house in the countryside with a much bigger one?
The rule
The site is outside any settlement boundary, so East Hampshire’s saved Policy H16 applies. A replacement house can be no more than 50% bigger than the original.
How we created the extra space
We built up the floor area first, through permitted development. A lawful development certificate for a side extension and front porch came through in August 2024. Our first rear extension was refused because its eaves sat higher than the house, so we lowered it and it was approved in October 2024.
Those consents added 98.5 m² the house could already have had, taking the starting point to about 268 m² with the garage and shed. The new house, at about 372 m², is about 38% over that and inside the limit.
The decision
East Hampshire District Council granted permission in December 2024. Conditions covered bat roosting features, timed outdoor lighting to protect bats, and at least 10% of the energy from renewable sources.
The house
Brick below and timber boarding above, under a slate grey roof with three gables facing the garden and solar panels set into the south facing slope. Wide sliding doors open the kitchen, dining and living space onto the terrace.
Oak
Woodland
Space
