Beautiful eco-friendly timber frame home was built in just 10 weeks

Architect Nick Leith-Smith transformed a post-war bungalow into a beautiful eco-friendly timber frame home in just 10 weeks.

Located in Berkshire, the 240-square-meter Blackett-House is raised on a 1-meter-high brick plinth in response to site’s flood zone designation. Topped with a split roof, the contemporary home achieves visual interest with the illusion that it comprises three separate volumes: a white-painted volume sandwiched between two larch-clad structures.

The two-story house contains a garage, four bedrooms on the second floor, and an open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area on the ground floor. Large steel-framed windows maximize the amount of natural light in the building as well as views out towards the garden. The interior is finished mostly in white to create the illusion of spaciousness and to reflect natural light.

Despite the minimalist design and 10-week construction time, the interior boasts a high attention to detail and craftsmanship. A handcrafted oak and glass staircase connects the ground floor with the upper level. An L-shaped wooden deck wraps around the rear of the house and a balcony built atop the garage connects the master bedroom with the outdoors.