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A hands-on self build Four years in the making, Rob Kybird’s timberframe home has aesthetics at its core, achieved with patience and attention to detail.
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ob Kybird had dreamed of building his own home for many years and so when, in 2014, he found a half-acre plot in a leafy Nottingham suburb, he knew the time had come to take on the challenge. “Self build appealed to me for many reasons,” explains Rob, who worked in banking until leaving his job to carry out the project. “The freedom of design choice, value for money, and also achieving a better build quality were all important aspects in my decision.” The L-shaped site has a generous garden with treelined fields beyond, and so maximising the view from the back of the house was a priority. Rob, who has two grown-up children, had been aware of timber-frame housebuilder Potton for 20 years, having come across the show centre by chance. He was immediately drawn to the Gransden, one of Potton’s show homes that is rooted
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BUILDING WITH TIMBER / selfbuildanddesign.com
EXTERIOR Clad in render and brick with exposed timbers, the house is rooted in tradition with an aesthetic that extends into the classic garden.
“Potton proved a good choice, from original design consultations right through to the completed build.” in tradition and characterised by exposed timber posts and beams, low-hanging eaves and dormer windows. “The team at Potton proved a good choice, from original design consultations right through to the final completed build SAP calculations,” says Rob. “Their individual, personalised service demonstrates a wealth of construction design expertise, technical knowledge and customer-focused support.” Rob had his own ideas of what he needed from his five-bedroom home, and so a number of changes were made to the floorplan, redesigning the interior to provide a series of rooms, each space distinct yet connected, with its own character while being part of a harmonious whole. Uniform finishes, such as white limestone tiles and one type of carpet, achieve consistency. A sunroom extends from the rear facade, with roof lights dropping in daylight which bounces off the white tiled floors and into the inner spaces of the house. The multifaceted sunroom also allows views of the garden and countryside to be visible from the kitchen, where there is a drop ceiling housing a glass extractor above the hob. Aesthetics were high on Rob’s agenda, which saw illuminating touches such as LED strip lights beneath the 30mm Silestone worktop, providing a sense of drama. German kitchen company Beckermann produced the high-quality handleless kitchen, 3D glass-effect
