Liverpool studio Smith Young Architects has completed Vestige, a house in northwest England with a brick base built from the remnants of a previous structure on the site.

Named Vestige, the home overlooks a park in Cheshire and replaces an existing dwelling on the site, which the client had hoped to extend but couldn't due to its poor condition.

To pay homage to the original building, Smith Young Architects recreated its ground floor layout and reused its old brickwork, augmenting it with an upper floor housed in contrasting timber-clad volumes.

Smith Young Architects has created the Vestige house in Cheshire

"Initially conceived as a retro-first adaptation, detailed analysis of the project highlighted the burden of the outdated taxation system in the UK," explained Smith Young Architects.

"The resultant new detached family home questions if it is possible to construct a sustainable replacement dwelling in an established suburban setting, whilst retaining a strong relationship between its context," it added.

Vestige's ground floor spaces are an adaptation of the grid-like floor plan of the previous building and have been formed by retaining or reusing its old brick walls.

It replaces an old house on the site that was in poor condition. Photo by Daniel Hopkinson

At the front of the home, a section of wall extends outwards to separate the living room from a double-height entrance hall and outdoor parking area.

Once inside, the floor level steps down towards the rear of the home, where a dining room and kitchen overlook a garden through full-height sliding glass doors.