The Deck House, Highcliffe, Christchurch

An individually designed house for a secluded, cliff top site in Highcliffe. The site has magnificent views towards the Isle of Wight that had been barely visible from the original house on the site. Designed for a private client as a family home, the client had a vision for a house that was New England in style with a generous balcony to maximise the sea views. The resultant design was a house with the main living areas at first floor and bedrooms and a games at ground floor level.

Ensuring that the materials were robust was essential in this exposed location. The balcony was constructed from galvanised and powder coated painted steel to emulate the timber construction of a New England house but in a manner that would better cope with the climactic conditions of the cliff top location.  The walls were clad with a fibre cement overlap boarding having a similar appearance to traditional timber clapboard.