A fresh take on suburban heritage
Architects - Wadhal
Products - Ketley class A bricks, light multi 65mm quarry tiles, Dreadnought country brown and brown brindle plain rooftiles
images - Lorenzo Zandri
Wade House is a striking new-build home in Ruislip by London-based practice Wadhal, designed as a contemporary reinterpretation of the 1930s suburban semi. Built on a former garage plot, the project was required by planning to follow the massing and material palette of its autere 1930's neighbours. Rather than replicate convention, the architect refined familiar elements such as flashings, brickwork and roof tiling, to create a home that feels both recognisably suburban and refreshingly modern.
A defining feature of Wade House is the carefully modelled brick base, where Ketley Red Class A Bricks are used to create a projecting, textured pattern that adds depth and shadow to the façade. Set in a four‑point arrangement, the brickwork elevates the familiar suburban language into something crisp and sculptural. Ketley bricks Class A characteristics make them ideal for use in projecting and textured brickwork and Ketley is the only brick manufacturer to have had their bricks independently tested for freeze thaw performance within a textured facade.
These same bricks also form the freestanding garden wall, extending the architectural language into the landscape. The roof is finished with Dreadnought clay roof tiles, in Country Brown and Brown Brindle and the use of arris hips with hidden gutters and downpipes give the building a crisp and contemporary profile. The roof tiles are made at the same factory in Brierley Hill using the same clay as Ketley bricks and their use here reinforces the home’s crafted, materially honest character.
Inside, Wade House a natural material creates an atmosphere of calm and simplicity. Ketley Light Multi Quarry Tiles run throughout the ground floor, providing durable, underfloor‑heating‑ready surfaces that bring warmth and continuity to the interior.
The tiles extend seamlessly onto the small patios, dissolving the threshold between inside and outside and supporting the home’s passive ventilation strategy. Their natural variation and robust performance complement the Douglas Fir joinery and soft plastered walls, contributing to a grounded, timeless interior.
Wade House demonstrates how thoughtful detailing and high‑quality materials can transform restrictive planning constraints into an opportunity for innovation. Ketley’s bricks and quarry tiles play a central role in this transformation, anchoring the home in its suburban context while enabling a refined, contemporary architectural expression.
