The Larch House

Larch House replaces a modest bungalow with a new home that settles naturally into its rural setting, its stepped roofline following the curve of the road and the hillside. A restrained frontage behind a Cotswold stone wall gives way to a sheltered courtyard where stone, larch, and glass create a warm heart.

Material choice anchors the house in place while introducing a contemporary lightness.

Cotswold stone grounds the architecture in its local context, while larch cladding sourced from nearby woodland softens the form and brings warmth and texture. Together, these materials balance the permanence of traditional Cotswold construction with the openness of timber, a combination that has become central to the practice’s approach.

Environmental performance shapes every aspect of the design.

Built to Passivhaus principles, the house combines high insulation, airtightness, and careful solar gain with a wood pellet stove, solar panels, and heat recovery ventilation. Clerestory glazing draws daylight deep into the plan and frames views over the beech wood.

Larch House demonstrates how contemporary rural architecture can be both grounded in place and forward-looking, blending material honesty, environmental responsibility, and a strong relationship to landscape.