Cropley House, West Yorkshire

The owner of a newly converted dwelling approached Reed Studio after it became apparent the new dwelling lacked sufficient natural daylight, this was noticed when the interior lights were always on - not good for bills or environment! The former St Peter's Infant School building, which is Grade II Listed, is north-west south-east in orientation and there are five dwellings. Most of the dwellings in Cropley House utilise at least two large 3-bay stone mullion windows if not more. For this particular dwelling, it only had one 2-bay stone mullion window. The brief from the client was simple: maximise natural daylight as much as possible. We engaged with the local conservation officer early to find out what ideas could be supported by the Local Authority. Three interventions were developed; i) new door with more glazing, ii) new window above door, and iii) a new velux above the stair. In the end, the proposed works were judged by the conservation officer as permitted development, meaning only a Listed Building Consent application was required. This saved the client both time and money. The final result is fantastic both internally and externally; Reed Studio managed to achieve the client's brief by increasing the natural daylight levels to reduce reliance on artifical lighting while not harming the external appearance of the Grade II Listed building, and the client? Well the client is left happy to enjoy their new and improved natural daylight! More pictures to be uploaded soon.