A new Timber Frame extension to a Miller’s House in the Brecon Beacons National Park
This project is an addition of a new timber-clad studio extension to former miller’s house in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is part of a group of four buildings with stone walls and slate roofs: flour mill (c.1500), house, oat drying kiln and cowshed. Roger Mears and his wife Joanie Speers bought the mill and cowshed in 1979 and partially converting them for use as a holiday home described in detail here. In 1985 they purchased the miller’s house and the kiln and in order to avoid enforcement of a demolition order they repaired and refurbished the house and repaired the kiln for use as a store.
For the last ten years two artists have occupied the miller’s house, working in cramped and ill-lit conditions. The new studio has been built to provide well-lit working space for them.
The proposals for the studio received unanimous approval from the National Park’s planning committee. It is designed to blend with the surrounding woodland; its sedum-covered roof is at the same angle as the adjoining wooded slope and the timber cladding provides a gentle contrast with the stonework of the existing building.
The studio is linked to the existing house via a new entrance lobby and utility room, set back from the road, and is constructed using a Welsh-designed, highly insulated, structural hollow-beam system clad in vertical timber boarding. An upper gallery floor is set back internally and cantilevered over the sloping rock face behind to create extra space, with a close-up view of the flora and fauna on the rock face behind.
The lower studio level gains high light levels from its large south-facing window and the upper level receives more even north light from the north-facing window. The whole space benefits from light washing the side walls from long roof lights.
Davies Sutton Architects produced the Technical design.
Awards
Shortlisted RICS Wales Award Residential Category 2018.

Ty Melinydd – before

Ty Melinydd – the same view with the extension

The extension timber frame structure during construction

Extension during construction

Ground floor interior

Ground floor viewed from the gallery

The Gallery

Exterior view – after. This shows the new extension and the link to the millers house

Ty Melinydd – the new extension in its setting
Project Team
Associate Architect: Davies Sutton Architects
Structural Engineers: Mann Williams
Structural Hollow-beam Frame: Kenton Jones Ltd t/a Woods of Wales