New Build Residential & Remodelling Projects
A New Home for an Exceptional Site
Replacing the existing dwelling to unlock the full potential of its setting.
Occupying a high-quality site with far-reaching views, this project began with a fundamental reappraisal of the existing property. Rather than allowing the constraints of the original house to dictate the future of the site, the decision was taken to demolish the existing dwelling and create a bespoke new home designed specifically around its setting.
The replacement dwelling uses a composition of traditional proportions, warm brickwork and carefully considered contemporary detailing, creating a substantial family home that feels established and appropriate to its surroundings. Generous areas of glazing have been positioned to capture natural light and take full advantage of the exceptional outlook.
A full basement extends beneath the house, providing significant additional accommodation while allowing the principal above-ground elevations to retain a well-proportioned and composed architectural form. This approach enabled considerably more from the site without allowing the scale of the building to overwhelm its setting.
Internally, the house has been conceived around space, light and views, with generous living areas and strong connections between the interior, landscaped gardens and wider landscape beyond.
The result is a highly individual new home that demonstrates the value of looking beyond an existing building and considering the true potential of the site itself – creating a property of lasting quality that makes the most of its exceptional position.
Contemporary New-Build Residence | Bespoke Residential Design
Making the most of a challenging sloping site through innovative architectural design and carefully considered use of space.
Callingham Architects developed proposals for a striking contemporary residence, designed to respond intelligently to the opportunities and challenges presented by a sloping site.
Rather than viewing the changes in ground level as a constraint, our architectural approach embraces the natural topography, incorporating a partial basement to maximise the available accommodation while carefully managing the building's overall scale and visual impact.
The design combines clean architectural lines, contemporary materials and generous glazing to create a distinctive modern home that connects naturally with its surroundings. The relationship between internal living spaces, external terraces and changing ground levels has been carefully considered to make the most of the site's unique characteristics.
By integrating accommodation within the natural slope, the proposals demonstrate how thoughtful design can unlock additional floor space, enhance functionality and create an architecturally exciting home without unnecessarily increasing its apparent mass.
The project reflects our experience in designing bespoke contemporary homes on challenging sites, balancing architectural ambition, practical considerations and planning requirements to realise the full potential of each property.
Reimagining a 1960s Home in Warwick
Mid-century architecture transformed for contemporary family living.
Originally remodelled by us in 2018, this 1960s property presented an opportunity to completely rethink the character of the existing house and create a distinctive contemporary family home.
Taking inspiration from the clarity and elegance of Huf Haus post-and-beam architecture, the design introduced strong structural lines, generous expanses of glazing and a much closer relationship between the principal living spaces and the garden. The transformation gave the original property an entirely new architectural identity while making the most of its underlying mid-century proportions.
We were delighted to return to the house in 2024, when our clients asked us to design a further extension to provide additional space while remaining faithful to the architectural language established during the original transformation.
The two phases now read as a cohesive whole, creating a light-filled, highly individual modern home that demonstrates how thoughtful remodelling can give an existing property an entirely new lease of life
Contemporary Rural Farmhouse with a Distinctly Urban Character
The vision was to create a distinctive contemporary farmhouse, combining the warmth and character of rural architecture with a sophisticated, Manhattan-inspired interior.
The house was conceived around generous open-plan living, with carefully considered spaces, bespoke detailing and a strong connection between the architecture and interior design. Contemporary materials and clean architectural lines are balanced with the scale and character of a modern family home, creating a property that is both individual and highly practical.
The completed home has been enthusiastically received by the family and was subsequently featured in Self Build & Design magazine, recognising the quality and individuality of the project.
Rural Character Reimagined for Modern Family Life.
This project transformed a redundant agricultural building into a distinctive contemporary family home, using Class Q permitted development to unlock the potential of its rural setting.
The design celebrates the building’s agricultural origins while introducing the light, space and openness expected of modern living. Generous glazing, open-plan accommodation and a restrained palette of materials create a strong connection between the interior spaces and the surrounding countryside, while the simple architectural treatment allows the original barn form to remain clearly expressed.
The result is a highly individual home that demonstrates how the character of a traditional agricultural building can be successfully adapted for contemporary rural living, creating a comfortable and considered family home without losing the qualities that make the original building special.
Reimagining a Hertfordshire Home
An extensive transformation designed around contemporary family life.
This Hertfordshire home has been comprehensively remodelled and extended to create a light, spacious and highly considered family home designed for modern living.
A series of carefully integrated extensions allowed the existing property to be completely rethought, creating generous open-plan living spaces and a much stronger relationship between the house and garden. Natural light, views and connectivity were central to the design, while the architectural treatment brings the original and new elements together as one cohesive home.
The result is a significant transformation that feels both contemporary and welcoming, tailored around the way our clients wanted to live. Seeing the completed home—and knowing that the finished spaces have delivered their original aspirations—is always one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
Barn Conversion in Warwickshire
Contemporary rural living shaped by its agricultural setting.
Set within a larger landholding in the Warwickshire countryside, this former agricultural building has been transformed into a highly individual contemporary home, designed to sit quietly and naturally within its rural surroundings.
The architecture retains the simplicity and character of the original barn form, complemented by a restrained palette of weathered timber boarding and zinc cladding. Internally, generous contemporary living spaces have been carefully detailed to meet the owner’s exacting standards, with the design placing particular emphasis on natural light and the relationship between inside and out.
Carefully positioned openings frame long views across the rolling Warwickshire countryside, allowing the landscape to become an integral part of the experience of the home.
The result is a refined rural conversion where contemporary architecture, craftsmanship and landscape come together to create a distinctive modern home firmly rooted in its setting.
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Contemporary Remodelling of a 1970s Family Home
Reimagining a traditional family home through sensitive architectural intervention, creating light-filled, flexible living spaces while celebrating its original character.
Callingham Architects developed a fully personalised remodelling scheme for a detached 1970s family home, carefully balancing contemporary family living with the distinctive architectural character of the original property.
Our approach focused on transforming the internal accommodation to create a more spacious, light and welcoming environment, improving the flow and connection between living areas while retaining the essence of the home's original design.
Rather than relying on conventional partitions, carefully considered furniture arrangements and subtle changes in layout were used to define individual spaces within a more open and flexible living environment. This approach allows the home to adapt naturally to the changing needs of family life without compromising its sense of openness.
Externally, the architectural interventions were deliberately restrained, respecting the proportions, form and character of the original 1970s property while introducing subtle contemporary refinements to give the building a fresh, timeless appearance.
The result is a thoughtfully reimagined family home that combines the charm of its architectural heritage with the comfort, practicality and understated elegance of modern living.
The project reflects our belief that successful residential architecture is not always about dramatic transformation, but about understanding the qualities of an existing home and carefully enhancing them to create something truly personal.
Contemporary Living, Traditional Proportions
A new family home designed to belong to its streetscape.
Replacing a tired bungalow, this new-build home provided the opportunity to make significantly better use of an established urban site and create a property tailored to the needs of contemporary family life.
Working closely with the contractor, we developed and delivered the project as a Design & Build solution, combining contemporary architectural detailing with the familiar proportions, scale and rhythm of the surrounding properties.
Careful consideration was given to how the new dwelling would sit within the established street scene. Traditional forms and proportions provide a sense of continuity, while a restrained contemporary palette and carefully considered detailing give the house its own distinctive architectural identity.
The result is a home that feels confidently contemporary without appearing out of place – respectful of its neighbours from the street, while creating something individual, light-filled and special for the family who live there.
A Passive Solar Home in Oxford
Energy-conscious architecture designed around its setting.
Set within a sensitive rear-garden site in Oxford, adjacent to the former family home of C. S. Lewis, this new-build dwelling presented a unique opportunity to combine contemporary architecture with a carefully considered approach to energy efficiency.
The project required a thoughtful response to a number of significant planning and ecological constraints, ultimately unlocking the potential of the site to create a highly individual self-build home.
At the heart of the design is a central thermal-mass core, conceived to capture and regulate passive solar gain and help moderate internal temperatures throughout the year. Combined with a carefully considered building envelope, orientation and use of natural light, the strategy significantly reduces the home's reliance on active heating and cooling.
The result is a distinctive and highly efficient contemporary home where architecture, environmental performance and a sensitive historic setting have been considered together from the outset.
Reimagining a 1950s Home in Barford
Contemporary family living within a sensitive conservation setting.
Purchased by our clients for its exceptional location, this 1950s property presented an opportunity to comprehensively rethink an existing family home while respecting its setting within the Barford Conservation Area.
Our approach combined carefully considered extensions with a complete remodelling of the existing house, improving its thermal performance, natural light and internal connectivity while creating generous spaces better suited to contemporary family life.
The architectural language deliberately introduces a more contemporary character, while remaining sensitive to the scale, materials and qualities of its established surroundings. New and existing elements are brought together as a cohesive whole, giving the property a renewed identity without losing its relationship with the village setting.
The result is a warm, efficient and distinctly modern family home, demonstrating how an unassuming post-war property can be successfully transformed through thoughtful design.
A Riverside Cottage Reimagined
Traditional character refined for contemporary riverside living.
Occupying an exceptional setting on the banks of the river at Blackdown, this characterful cottage has been comprehensively remodelled, extended and restored to create an elegant contemporary family home.
Our approach sought to enhance the qualities of the original property through carefully considered additions and a restrained palette of materials and architectural detailing. Every aspect of the house was reviewed, allowing the existing character to be retained and enhanced while introducing the space, light and functionality required for modern living.
Throughout the design process, detailed CGI visualisations played an important role in developing the proposals, enabling the client to explore materials, details and design decisions before construction and providing a clear reference as the project progressed.
The result is a highly considered home, tailored to the client's exacting requirements, where traditional character, contemporary detailing and its remarkable riverside setting come together as a cohesive whole.
Contemporary Family Living in the Green Belt
Making more from less through considered design.
Set within the Green Belt, this project presented the challenge of transforming an existing property into a distinctive contemporary family home while working within strict limitations on the extent of additional development.
Rather than allowing those constraints to restrict the ambition of the project, they became an important part of the design process. The existing site and available development were carefully considered to make every element work harder, creating light-filled, flexible living spaces and a strong relationship between the house, garden and its more private external spaces.
A contemporary palette of natural timber, crisp render, dark-framed glazing and integrated renewable technology gives the house a confident architectural identity, while the separate garden building provides valuable additional space without competing with the main home. Together, the buildings and landscape create a series of connected spaces designed around everyday family life.
Most importantly, this was a house designed to be lived in rather than simply admired. Over the years it has provided a flexible and evolving backdrop to family life, adapting as the owners' children grew up and allowing the house and garden to be enjoyed through the different stages of family life.
The result demonstrates how careful design can unlock considerably more from a constrained Green Belt site, creating a highly individual modern home without relying on excessive scale.
