A light and airy new house

North of Limfjorden, Martin Bach has designed and built his own villa, which blends well with the neighbouring older properties. Light materials and several glass doors facing the south-west ensure a light and airy feel inside, while the blue-green end walls and acoustic ceilings add a rustic contrast.

In Vodskov north of Aalborg, the carpenter Martin Bach has moved into his recently completed home – a rectangular 236-square-metre single storey villa of which 192 square metres are for residential use.

He designed the house himself, the shape of which was dictated by that of the plot.

“A long, ranch-style house suited the plot best, and at the same time I’ve chosen a building style that ties in with the older houses nearby,” says Martin Bach.

Pitched roof
The result is a brick house in various shades of pale grey with a black, hipped roof that has an angle of 30 degrees. The carport is integrated with the house at one end and finished in black wood. 

“Most standard houses have a roof pitch of only 20 degrees, but I thought the steeper angle gave the roof a bit more prominence,” explains Martin Bach.

Inside, the roof pitch produces an exciting and dynamic ceiling geometry. This is particularly apparent in the longitudinal kitchen/dining room, which is separated from the living room by a wall extending half-way into the space.

The building facade towards the south-west has six sections with glass doors, so that light floods in, and the entire facade can be opened up on warm days.

Ceilings with spots and strips
Floor tiles and large expansive window sections can potentially result in a lot of reverberation in a building. Therefore, all the ceilings, including those in the bedrooms and bathrooms, are clad in white-painted Troldtekt acoustic panels in an extremely fine structure. Above the kitchen and in a band along the centre of the house, spots have been built into the ceiling.

“In my job as a carpenter, I’ve installed Troldtekt panels in countless buildings, so it wasn’t a difficult decision for me to use Troldtekt in my own house. In the large rooms in particular, the ceiling ensures good acoustics, as well as providing a slightly more rustic look than painted plasterboard,” says Martin Bach.

“When you have a roof like ours, you obviously have to take a bit more care where the surfaces meet. Here, I’ve chosen to fit white wood strips along the joins between the Troldtekt panels, and I think it gives a nice finish,” he says.

In addition to the Troldtekt ceiling, the blue-green end walls help to provide a contrast to the white walls, pale flooring and the white kitchen surfaces. The same applies to the grey wall behind the kitchen worktops, which is flanked by grey cabinets.