Atelier NovAlp — Project

R1295C

Two adjoining houses, two separate lives. The project unites them into a single coherent 130 m² whole — a surgical intervention in stone.

One was lived in, the other used for storage. Opening them up to each other meant sawing through thick stone walls with surgical precision to create continuity without weakening the structure. The layout is then reorganised on every level: new openings cut, stair steps adapted to resolve the differences in height between the two buildings. The insulation is completely redone, laminate flooring laid, and concrete and reinforcing masonry cast where the walls were opened. A timber floor is created to turn the loft into living space — square metres gained beneath the existing roof structure. The new kitchen features a marble worktop, the anchor point of the new living space. In the end, a house that was no longer really two regains unity, flow and coherence. All-trades works: painting, electrics, plumbing and joinery. Six months on site in Chindrieux.

This renovation project in Chindrieux, in Savoie, highlights Atelier NovAlp's expertise in joining adjoining buildings into a single coherent home. Sawing through thick load-bearing stone walls, a delicate structural operation, was supervised by a specialist engineering firm and carried out with reinforced concrete strengthening to guarantee the stability of the whole. Creating a timber floor in the loft provided additional living space without changing the footprint, an appropriate solution for old Savoie buildings. As project manager in Savoie, we coordinated masons, carpenters, plumbers and electricians over a six-month build, with regular supervision to ensure the quality of the finishes. This kind of heavy renovation, which turns two buildings into a single home, illustrates our general contracting approach in the service of local built heritage.