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 Savoyarde farmhouse dating back to 1780 and converted previously into two apartments with an unused grange (loft). The brief was to make one family home and bring the heart back to the building. The internal layouts were in need of 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 particuarly 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 garage was also redesigned to be partially set underground so as to maximise views from the farmhouse.