At VESP Architects, we are committed to promoting sustainable practices and reducing our impact on the environment. As part of this commitment, we recently participated in a day planting trees with Moor Trees at Coombeshead Rewilding. Moor Trees is a charity dedicated to restoring native woodland on Dartmoor and South Devon. Our location, Coombeshead Rewilding, […]

VESP Architects have received planning permission for River House, near Exeter in Devon. The proposals for River House were taken on an extensive and complex planning journey, including consultation with flood engineers, Natural England and the Environment Agency. The site sits immediately adjacent to a fluctuating river environment and SSSI, with sections of the plot […]

VESP architects have won ‘best residential and small commercial designer’ in the regional DBC building excellence awards 2022, and represented the South West at the national awards ceremony in London. This was in recognition of the high standards in our completed buildings and our excellent working relationship with building control. Click here to see how […]

VESP is the exciting new face of van Ellen + Sheryn architects. Since 2006, we have established ourselves as one of the leading RIBA Chartered Architects in Devon and the South West. Our rebranding recognises the growth of the company and the team of architects and designers in our studio. Whilst VESP (van Ellen, Sheryn, Phillips) […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have recently received planning permission for a modern extension to a farmhouse in the South Hams, Devon. The existing house was in state of disrepair, and the internal configuration was not suitable for modern day family living. Our scheme proposes to add a dining room in the form of a new […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have gained planning permission to refurbish and extend a century-old Welsh farmhouse, situated in a beautiful valley in south Wales. Gilfach Goch, meaning ‘Welsh Red Creek’, has been in our clients’ family for over a century.  Unfortunately the farmhouse has fallen into disrepair. Our proposals look to refurbish and extend the […]

Having recently completed the external landscaping, new photos have been taken at Court 6 in Plymouth. The house has an ‘upside-down’ arrangement, with kitchen, dining, living and the master bedroom at first floor to maximise views and light. Bedrooms, gym, home office and TV room are all located at ground floor in a u-shaped arrangement […]

We have new photos to share of Beechwood, a 6 bedroom property sits on the wooded hillside above Salcombe’s South Sands Beach, courtesy of Harriet George Properties. Designed by van Ellen + Sheryn and constructed by Goulden and Sons, the house was completed in 2019. The house has settled in well over the last few years; […]

van Ellen + Sheryn’s design for a new clifftop house in Shaldon, Devon is on-site and half way through the build process with contractors and project managers Goulden and Sons. The concrete walls of the subterranean ground floor were completed late last year, and since then the complex steel framed walls and roof have been […]

A short progress video this morning from one of our sites;   North Farm is a Grade-II listed, working farmhouse in mid-Devon, where we gained permission for two large extensions, increasing the footprint by 45%. The permission provides our clients with contemporary entry spaces, kitchen/dining, and a generous home office. The timelapse video (courtesy of […]

van Ellen + Sheryn were nominated as ‘Best Residential and Small Commercial Designer 2022’ at this years Devon Building Control awards. We work closely with Devon Building Control for many of our projects, using their wealth of knowledge during design development, and collaborating with them and contractors on-site to ensure the highest quality of builds are […]

Two new dwellings currently on-site are making good progress. A class-Q barn conversion is nearing completion in the South Hams. A simple palette of granite, larch and metal roofing are contemporary references to the agricultural heritage of the site. Internally, the robust timber structure is expressed, and finer architectural joinery acts as a counterpoint. A […]

VAN ELLEN + SHERYN : Awarded Best of Houzz 2022 : People’s choice award highlights top home professionals among the Houzz community, based on quality service and most popular designs 27th January, 2022 – van Ellen + Sheryn architects of Ashburton, Devon has won a “Best of Houzz” award for Design and Customer Service on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation […]

Located near the north Cornish coast, the barn had been converted in the 1990’s, and required major work to increase and improve its accommodation, and bring it into the 21st century. The design focused around providing a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living room at first floor, that could look out over the valley beyond. […]

We are excited to announce that our project Leign Farm Barns scooped the 2021 LABC South West Building Excellence Award for Best Residential Conversion or Alteration to an Existing Barn. The conversion of these two stone heritage barns, dating back to the 16th century, was part of the refurbishment of the farmstead Leign Farm on Dartmoor. […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have recently received permission for a contemporary Timber framed extension, and new dormer windows to a house in the Kent Downs National Park.    Located in the protected Green Belt, we were able to negotiate a beautiful scheme for our clients, whilst carefully navigating a notoriously tricky planning authority. This scheme provides […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have gained planning permission to refurbish and extend a large property outside Lyme Regis, Dorset.  The house is an arts and crafts style detached property with sprawling gardens, overlooking the Char valley. The proposals looked to replace an existing linking extension between the two main wings of the house, with a […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have received Planning Permission for a distinctive new contemporary farmhouse near Totnes in South Devon. Our client approached us having been previously unsuccessful in their attempt to achieve a ‘Class Q’ conversion for an existing barn on the site. Van Ellen + Sheryn were appointed to realise the client’s ambition of […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have received Planning Permission for a distinctive new contemporary farmhouse near Totnes in South Devon. Our client approached us having been previously unsuccessful in their attempt to achieve a ‘Class Q’ conversion for an existing barn on the site. Van Ellen + Sheryn were appointed to realise the client’s ambition of […]

Bottor cottage is a Georgian house and gardens located in the Dartmoor national park. Van Ellen + Sheryn completely renovated, modernised, and extended the home in 2017. Since then the gardens have been designed and re-landscaped by Alice Blount Designs, and we felt it was a great opportunity for a revisit. The design uses a […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn spent an enjoyable day at Bottor Cottage, to get some new team photos done for our website.  We are now a team of 9 architects and designers. We are all very different, one of us can wiggle their ears and moonwalk simultaneously, one of us loves pink ‘n whites mallow wafers, […]

  Van Ellen + Sheryn designed a modern floor-to-ceiling glass extension to Roseland Cottage, a beautiful 200 year old Cornish cottage. The old cottage provides the clients with cosy intimate living accommodation while the contrasting modern extension allows them to enjoy views over the garden and the countryside, from their light filled living room. Selfbuilder […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have received planning permission for the refurbishment and extension of an old mill house in Devon. The proposals are the result of a meticulous and sensitive design process that have considered the value of both the built and natural environment that currently exists at this mill house. The scheme  brings the house and […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn are delighted to be working on this project. We are sure we share this joy with the contractor, as it can’t be every day they work on a site with views like this. Word must have gone around though, as even the cruise liners now sail past to have a look. […]

We are delighted to announce that for the seventh year in a row van Ellen + Sheryn Architects were voted as a winner of the Best of Houzz 2021 UK- Devon award in Design. Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design. Van Ellen + Sheryn was chosen by the millions of homeowners […]

North Devon Council has granted planning permission for the extension and remodelling of this 7 bedroom house within walking distance of the great surfing beach in Croyde. This contemporary house was converted from two dwellings into one large house in 2015 and benefits from beautiful sea views from the 1st and 2nd floor bedrooms. Our […]

Our design for a new build clifftop house in Shaldon, south Devon has commenced construction this January. The dramatic three-bed dwelling received planning permission in August 2020. It replaces a large existing house on the plot, and the new design was well received by the local planning authority. The house is located on a steep […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn’s scheme for a complete house refurbishment and extension to a victorian house on the Dorset coast has gained planning permission. The proposals include an elegant glass and Portland stone extension in the garden, wholesale internal alterations, and a large loft-extension and contemporary dormer at second floor. The existing house suffered from […]

The Build It awards 2020 judging panel decided that van Ellen + Sheryn were the deserved winners in the Best ICF Home category with their project Beechwood. The house was constructed by Goulden and Sons Ltd using NuDura insulated concrete formwork ICF, by The Fell Partnership. The design of Beechwood is a perfect example of how […]

We have the very exciting news of being nominated for this years Build It awards, in the ‘Best Architect for a renovation or extension’ category. Please vote for us here: https://www.self-build.co.uk/vote-now-best-architect-or-designer-for-a-renovation-or-extension-project-build-it-awards-2020/. Voting closes on 12th November 2020. This nomination is for the renovation and extension of a historic Georgian property in the Dartmoor National Park. […]

Whilst this year has presented some obvious challenges, we have also been very busy working on a number of exciting new projects. Some are in the early stages of design development, whilst others have received planning earlier this year and are beginning to commence on site. Below are a few snap-shots of the new-build houses, […]

We have recently received planning and listed building permission for the refurbishment and extension of a house on the Harbourne river in South Devon. The thatched property, pictured below, lacked any real connection with its stunning garden setting and meadow flood-plain. The bedroom provision was also lacking. Below: Existing Ground Floor Plan Below: Existing First […]

Our recently completed extension to a Cornish cottage has been featured in May’s edition of Cornwall Life www.cornwallife.co.uk  ‘An old cottage on the Roseland peninsula has been given a distinctly modern twist with a floor to ceiling glass extension that manages to contrast – and compliment – the existing historic house.’ The clients appointed van Ellen […]

van Ellen + Sheryn  have completed the extension and refurbishment of a mid century villa in Torquay, Devon. The house required re-configuring internally and an improved connection to the garden. A new large family day room with kitchen and dining space has been provided at the back of the house, overlooking an outside eating area […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn’s red brick extension to a Georgian house in South Devon featured in Build It Magazine. We have taken extracts from the article below; When Howard Horsman retired from his job overseas in the oil industry, he and Denise (his wife) had the pick of the country in choosing where to live. […]

We have the main feature article in this month’s Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine. Richfield House is a four bedroom house, built on a brown field site in the centre of Totnes. Simeon Rich, owner of Darich Construction, approached van Ellen + Sheryn to design a new home for his family. The project was completed in 2014. […]

Article originally published in Self Build Magazine. It’s hard to imagine that this beautiful family home was once a wreck. The transformation was undertaken by van Ellen + Sheryn architects Devon, who connected the old farmhouse with a barn and renovated the detatched former milking parlour. Each building was also given a sympathetic yet contemporary […]

Works are commencing on site for this recently permitted Class-Q barn in the South Hams, Devon. We have produced these visuals during the detailed design development to allow for the design process to be undertaken collaboratively with the client and the project manager. This realistic way of visualising the space, light and materials has allowed […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn’s new build home on the Salcombe coastline features in new Houzz Tour article. Click the link to read on…

Bayview is a recently completed new-build house located on the cliff-top above Bigbury On Sea, in South Devon. It commands an outstanding vantage point with panoramic views across the whole bay, from Bantham right across to Burgh Island. The client brief was to refurbish the existing property and extend it in order to maximise enjoyment […]

Our fantastic Project Managers, goulden and sons are nearing completion of a barn conversion in Moretonhampstead. We thought it newsworthy to champion those who were instrumental in its restoration. When we first saw and entered the barn, back in 2016, we had to shoo-out a couple of resident sheep and tread carefully around the layers […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn have completed a contemporary glass extension to an 18th century stone cottage in Cornwall, alongside contractors Cathedral Builders . The clients wished for a better connection to their garden and to better utilise the garage building to the side of the plot. The design resolved to break open a route from the […]

van Ellen + Sheryn have completed the full house refurbishment and extension of a character property in the grounds of Creedy Park, Crediton. This project is another successful collaboration with Goulden and Sons of Totnes. The red brick house was once the gardener’s cottage for the Manor House estate at Creedy Park. Extended and altered over […]

We are delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for a 450sqm. barn conversion in the heart of the South Hams countryside. The proposal retains as much of the barn integrity as is feasible, reusing the existing cladding, whilst carving out recesses and ‘breaks’ to add articulation and human scale. This exercise has […]

van Ellen + Sheryn are exhibiting at this years Self Build and Design Show on the 7th and 8th September, at West Point, Exeter. We will be there to show our latest projects, answer any questions you might have about the self-build process, and discuss your project to help you commence your journey from the […]

We are delighted to announce that our proposals for a new equine veterinary centre has been granted permission at the Dartmoor National Park planning committee meeting this morning. Members unanimously voted in favour of this much needed facility and praised its sympathetic and locally appropriate design. Blackdown Equine Practice will provide a state of the […]

The scheme received planning permission in 2017, and is being constructed by Goulden and Sons Ltd, a Totnes based project management company. The whole house has been constructed using NuDura insulated concrete formwork. These large lightweight building blocks are used to assemble an entire storey within the space of a week, ready for a single pour of […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn’s completed new build house in the Dartmoor National Park, Devon, was highly commended at the 2019 LABC awards in Plymouth, for the best individual new home. The project was constructed by Goulden and Sons Ltd., and engineered by StructureHaus . Lower Linney is a new build bungalow on the edge of Dartmoor, […]

Van Ellen + Sheryn were pleased to recently collaborate with Barnes of Ashburton for the kitchen and joinery of Leign Farm in the Dartmoor National Park. Barnes of Ashburton produce custom made, hand crafted kitchens from the highest quality materials. Their  attention to detail and design approach to the kitchen, utility room, and the boot […]

Planning permission has been granted for this large replacement dwelling on the Devon coastline. The existing house will be demolished and replaced with this significantly larger property. This was achieved in part by the use of a new basement floor that opens up to the terraced garden below the house, and by utilising the roof […]