Ty-Hedfan is a gorgeous house that sits perched above the meeting of two picturesque rivers in a valley that forms part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The name means ‘hovering house’ and takes inspiration from a traditional Welsh long house, making use of local materials such as slate and stone.
Featherstone Young made great use of the site, relying on their ingenuity and skill to work around the statutory 6m no-build zone along the river bank. They achieved this by cantilevering the main living areas, raising them above the bank and extending the structure out through the trees surrounding the home. The house blends beautifully into the surrounding forest and its unique form is striking to the eye.
The house totals 2400sqft (223sqm) of internal living space which is split into two quite differently constructed wings: The main house wing has the cantilevered living room and a double height kitchen and dining spaces that open onto an elevated courtyard overlooking the garden, river and countryside.
The upper floor of this wing, partially within the roofspace, contains 2 bedrooms and bathrooms. The second wing is perpendicular to the first and partially buried into the sloping ground.
It has a gently sloping green sedum roof that appears to be an extension of the garden behind. This wing comprises two guest bedrooms and a study room with bed mezzanine, all with full height windows and doors opening up onto a riverside deck. Punctuating the green roof are irregular shaped rooflights bringing ample daylight into this semi sunken area.