Nye Saunders were approached by the owners of a house in the Surrey Hills near Dorking, having been recommended by members of their family for whom we have worked on country house refurbishments and extensions. 

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When we embarked on the project, the house lacked the grand entrance and staircase befitting a large country house.  The front of the house was a mismatch of differing styles and our brief was to pull this together into a coherent whole.  A two storey extension was added to the front of the house complete with stone portico to provide the formal entrance.  Internally, a double height space was carved out of the centre of the house to create a grand stair hall.  A wide sweeping staircase made by Winchcombe Farm Design with twisted iron balusters and a hand carved timber handrail leads up to sinuous landing balustrade.  The entrance hall with stone flooring and underfloor heating incorporates an existing working fireplace and hidden behind what appears to be a normal door is a lift providing easy access to the first floor.  The project also involved the remodelling of a play room into a new dining room.  The interiors were designed in conjunction with renowned interior designer Cindy Leveson of Leveson Design.  The project benefited from a comprehensive  design team to ensure the project ran smoothly on site, including; Cooper & Withycombe (structural engineer); Quantix Solutions Ltd. (quantity surveyor); Chris Evans Consulting (M&E consultants);  and Linsey Evans Garden Design (landscapes).

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Photo credit Laura Kelly: lskphoto@btinternet.com