These clients were moving to the Alps from another area in France and they chose the historic village of Taninges for their new family home. The property chosen was a traditional farmhouse dating back to 1780 and converted previously into two apartments with an unused loft. The brief was to make one family home and bring the heart back to the building. The internal layouts needed major updating and there was not an option to extend the building. Differing floor levels and layouts had to be redesigned to be integrated whilst retaining as much of the original structure as possible to keep control of spend. As to be expected, external changes had to be respectful of traditional building aesthetics in the area and this was particularly important because this building came under the remit of the ABF (Architectes de Batiment de France - the equivalent of English Heritage) and their approval was mandatory. Access to the farmhouse was reworked to take vehicles off the road whilst taking into consideration the bend in the road outside the chalet. The new garage and carport design in placing of the existing one had a new lower ridge height and was partially set underground to improve views from the farmhouse. *