Overview

Orchard Court is a bespoke development of four detached properties, including three houses and a bungalow, on a greenfield site in rural Herefordshire. The project required a foundation strategy that addressed complex soil mechanics while sitting sympathetically within the landscape.

The challenge

The site's history as a Christmas tree farm, combined with heavy clay soil and boundary hedgerows, created a significant risk of soil desiccation. The primary challenge was to meet strict NHBC standards without resort to over-engineered foundations that would have impacted the project's viability.

The structural strategy

By assessing tree influence both inside and outside the site boundary, we designed a bespoke trench-fill solution tailored to the specific soil mechanics. We specified suspended beam-and-block floors to protect against ground heave and integrated a lightweight timber frame superstructure. This combination reduced the overall loads on the ground, lowered the embodied carbon, and ensured a robust, cost-effective result.

Outcome

The result was a commercially efficient foundation design that achieved full warranty approval. By balancing technical precision with sustainable material choices, we provided the client with a buildable scheme that ensures long-term structural integrity.