New Country House Slider

New Country House CGI, Alresford, Hampshire

Set within open countryside near Alresford in Hampshire, this project involved the creation of a series of high-quality property CGI images for a new country house on the site of a former boarding kennels. The proposal, designed by the late Winchester-based architect Huw Thomas, replaced the utilitarian kennel buildings with a substantial and carefully composed family residence set within mature grounds.

Charles Roberts Studios was commissioned to produce a coordinated set of exterior CGIs to support planning, marketing, and stakeholder presentations. The aim was to communicate the architectural character of the proposed house, its relationship to the surrounding landscape, and the transformation of the site from its previous use into a refined country residence.

A Sensitive Replacement in a Rural Setting

The site sits within gently undulating Hampshire countryside, surrounded by fields, mature trees, and scattered rural properties. While the existing boarding kennels had a practical and functional character, the approved design introduced a much more considered architectural approach.

The new house was conceived as a traditional English country home, with warm red-brick elevations, steeply pitched roof forms, and carefully proportioned windows and doors. The overall massing was broken into a series of connected volumes, helping the building sit comfortably within the landscape while avoiding the appearance of a single, monolithic structure.

Our role was to interpret the architect’s drawings and planning information to produce imagery that felt authentic, measured, and appropriate to the rural context. The CGIs needed to demonstrate not only the design quality of the proposed house, but also the way it would replace the former kennel buildings with something more in keeping with its surroundings.

Highlighting the Feature Turret and Lantern

One of the defining architectural elements of the design was a central turret, which acts as a focal point for the composition. This circular form rises subtly above the surrounding rooflines and is topped with a distinctive copper-clad lantern.

The lantern introduces a vertical accent to the otherwise horizontal roofscape, adding a sense of character and craftsmanship. Over time, the copper cladding is intended to weather naturally, developing a soft patina that reinforces the building’s traditional aesthetic.

In the CGIs, careful attention was given to the proportions, materials, and lighting of this feature. The turret was positioned to be clearly visible from the principal approach, helping it read as a key architectural moment rather than a decorative afterthought. Subtle highlights and realistic daylight conditions ensure that the copper lantern catches the light in a natural way, drawing the viewer’s eye without appearing overly stylised.

Establishing the Rural Context

To communicate the setting of the proposed house, aerial CGIs were developed alongside the ground-level perspectives. These wider views illustrate the relationship between the new building, the surrounding tree belts, and the open farmland beyond.

From this elevated perspective, the sense of privacy and seclusion offered by the site becomes clear. The house appears as a discreet addition to the landscape, framed by mature planting and set back from neighbouring properties.

At ground level, the imagery focuses on the approach to the house, with informal driveway arrangements, soft lawns, and restrained planting. The landscaping was deliberately understated to maintain the rural character of the site and to allow the architecture itself to take visual precedence.

The Before and After Story

An important part of the brief was to communicate the transformation of the site. To achieve this, we created a before-and-after slider that compares the existing boarding kennel buildings with the proposed country house.

This interactive visual tool allows viewers to move seamlessly between the two states of the site. The contrast is immediate and clear: the utilitarian forms of the kennels give way to a carefully composed residence with traditional materials, refined proportions, and a strong architectural identity.

For planning committees, stakeholders, and potential buyers, the slider provides a powerful and intuitive way to understand the benefits of the proposal. Rather than relying solely on drawings or written descriptions, the transformation is communicated visually and instantly.

A Cohesive Set of Planning and Marketing CGIs

Throughout the project, the focus was on creating imagery that felt believable, calm, and architecturally sensitive. Lighting conditions were based on natural daylight, materials were handled with restraint, and the landscaping was kept simple and appropriate to the setting.

The resulting set of CGIs provides a coherent visual narrative, moving from aerial context views to detailed exterior perspectives. Together, they present a clear vision of the proposed country house and its place within the Hampshire landscape.

Conclusion

The Alresford country house project demonstrates how carefully crafted property CGI can support both planning and marketing objectives. By combining aerial context views, detailed exterior perspectives, and an interactive before-and-after slider, Charles Roberts Studios helped communicate the full potential of the site.

The imagery highlights the architectural quality of Huw Thomas’s design, particularly the distinctive turret and copper-clad lantern, while also conveying the broader transformation of the former boarding kennels into a refined country residence. The result is a clear, compelling visual story that supports decision-making and brings the project to life before construction begins.

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