Aberdeen 01224 588944
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Telford 01952 291278 Worcester 01905 335408
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Bishops Stortford 01279 898710 Chelmsford 01245 392792
Hemel Hempstead 01442 803303
Holt 01263 711979 Ipswich 01473 742200 Loughton 020 84189192
Norwich 01603 666161 Royston 01763 271991
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Solva Scots Grey utility room
Solva
Milano Levante Marble marble
Solva Scots Grey ash painted shaker door
Solva Vintage Rose ash painted shaker door
22 TV HOUSE EXCLUSIVE
A curvaceous house that was worth the wait – and the cost
37 VICTORIAN CONVERSION
Turning two London flats into one spectacular home
51
63
SOMERSET SELF-BUILD This solar-powered house was built to Passivhaus standard
GERMAN MODULAR HOME
With its wildflower roof, energy-efficient design and treasured artworks, this house was tailor-made for one couple
95 GRAND BUILD Advice on how to gain planning permission for your self-build project
101 GRAND GUIDE Ten former industrial buildings that have been converted into characterful homes
114 FOCUS ON TIMBER Exploring ways to construct your house or extension with wood
121 BUYER’S GUIDE TO INSULATION
A look at the materials and methods for insulating the loft, walls and floor
132 PROJECT KITCHENS Innovative storage solutions for your pots, pans, utensils and small appliances
142 PROJECT BATHROOMS A round-up of the latest designs for updating the walls and floor
This month I bring the latest news about Grand Designs Live, which returns to the Birmingham NEC from 5-9 October (granddesignslive.com). Hosted by property expert and TV presenter Kunle Barker, the show welcomes Kevin McCloud for the traditional ribbon-cutting opening ceremony. After which, Kevin, Kunle, Grand Designers and other special guests will appear on the Grand Designs Magazine Theatre stage for an inspiring programme of talks and panel discussions – including a session on keeping warm this winter, a subject many of us are worried about as energy costs continue to rise. Kevin returns for another round of stage appearances on Saturday when you can also hear from Grand Designers Iain and Jenny Shillady, who turned a Scottish bothy into their home.
Addressing the cost-of-living crisis on Thursday 6 October, the Energy Saving Trust is hosting a Q&A session and offering practical guidance on changing the way our homes are heated (energysavingtrust.org.uk). Plus, you’ll find more energy-efficiency advice, along with information on how to self-build or retrofit your home sustainably, at Green Living Live (greenlivinglive.com), which makes its Birmingham debut and runs alongside Grand Designs Live. Architect James Walsh will host experts on stage at the Sustainable Future Theatre, who will outline the many positive steps you can take to mitigate the effects of climate change.
You’ll find further details of some of the exhibitors and features on P75, along with information on tickets and getting to the venue. I look forward to seeing you there.
KAREN STYLIANIDES, EDITOR@StylianidesK
Perfecting the form of this five-bedroom house in south Manchester proved a challenge for its owners. Turn to P22 for more
COVER PHOTO ANDY HASLAM
Eighty per cent of Gen Z say it’s important to them that their home has sustainability credentials when considering somewhere to live in the next five years. The Property Marketing Strategists (propertymarketing strategists.co.uk), campus student accommodation provider UPP (upp-ltd.com) and Dataloft (dataloft.co.uk) surveyed 2,500 16 to 25-year-olds.
Terraces of sawn Yorkstone paving, a 12m-long living wall and a full-length rill are highlights of a garden project by Tom Massey Studio (tommassey.co.uk) for a home in Richmond, south-west London, which is shortlisted in the Society of Garden Designers Awards 2022 (sgd.org.uk). The dining terrace leads to a seating area, and on to a section of planting screened off with louvered timber. In the woodland spot behind, a water feature bubbles up from a dish carved out of a Yorkstone boulder. The winner is announced on 23 September.
Sunlight and great views are at the heart of this 575sqm, five-bedroom home in Totteridge, north London. It was designed by Gregory Phillips Architects (gregoryphillips.com) for a couple with three grown-up children, and replaces the bungalow they’d lived in for years. At the south-facing front, the windows have reveals up to 1m deep to prevent overheating during the summer. At the back, the extensive glazing has minimal framing. Built with highly insulated lightweight stud wall infill between a structural steel frame, the house is completed in waterstruck grey bricks by Petersen Tegl (en.petersen-tegl.dk), laid to create a sawtooth effect.
Arches are a recurring theme of this fourbedroom house. Built to cope with the hot climate of Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India, it has semi-open spaces along the perimeter, and deeper recesses on the garden-facing sides. Sanjay Puri Architects designed the three-storey, 920sqm home for a multigenerational family. Built in locally sourced bricks, sandstone and lime plaster, it includes water recycling and rainwater harvesting.
(sanjaypuriarchitects.com)
The RIBA has announced its House of the Year 2022 longlist. Among 20 projects in the running is Ravine House in Derbyshire, upgraded by CE+CA Studio (cecastudio.co.uk). Largely unchanged since its construction in 1967, the 368sqm, three-bedroom house has a new garden room, triple glazing, high-performance insulation, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and a borehole. The winning project will be revealed on Grand Designs: House of the Year, which airs on Channel 4 later this year.
A 1980s end-of-terrace house in Spitalfields, east London, was renovated to enable a family of four to stay in the same street as their family and friends. The initial layout work and partial construction of the 169sqm, three-bedroom house – including the new basement, extension, concrete staircase and dormer loft – was undertaken by Studio Idealyc (studioidealyc.com). But Common Ground Workshop (commongroundworkshop.co.uk) stepped in to complete the en-suite bedrooms, open-plan kitchen and dining spaces, and the basement living room. The minimal materials palette includes microconcrete, timber, raw plaster, zinc, and limestone pebbles and pavers in the garden.
Making the world a better place starts at home, and that requires a design revolution. In Houses That Can Save the World (Thames & Hudson, £25, out 15 October) Courtenay Smith and Sean Topham explore eco-friendly solutions to the environmental and social issues we’re facing. This sourcebook looks at 19 home-building and design strategies from the perspective of architects, designers, engineers, self-builders and artists, illustrated by projects from across the world. Ranging from the hi-tech to the surprisingly simple, the ideas include turning rubbish into a construction material and creating floating neighbourhoods. (thamesandhudson.com)
MEL YATES, BRITT WILLOUGHBY DYER, DINESH MEHTA, DUG WILDER, STALE ERIKS EN
As award winning architects and designers we aspire to create extraordinary buildings and spaces for our clients, sometimes from the most difficult of design briefs. Central to our philosophy is that good design should reflect the needs of our clients and respond to the surrounding environment.
Pushing the boundaries of design we are able to achieve timeless, highly innovative and sustainable projects. We offer a complete design service from initial advice through to the completion of your project.
We complete works all over the UK and internationally with construction budgets from £250,000.
Please take a look around our website and email us or call with your new project enquiry for a free consultation.
Wood. Now there’s a healthy product. Grown in the quiet solitude of a forest with no fertilisers or added colourants. A carbon store that locks up CO2 for as long as it remains in use as something helpful like a book or a chair or this magazine. You would have thought the tree had been invented by god to help get us out of the environmental mess we’re in.
Ever since man accidentally discovered how to club something to death, wood has proved useful. We have built temples, ships and siege engines from minimally processed bits of tree. So what are we up to taking this perfectly serviceable and abundant material and messing around with it to produce something called ‘engineered timber’? What’s wrong with the real thing? After all, Grand Designer Ben Law, he of the Woodland House, established with the University of Sussex that the moment you even saw a tree into planks or square section lengths the timber begins to lose its strength (ben-law.co.uk). A wavy branch will always be stronger than the nice, square-edged beam that can be cut from it, simply because the grain in the branch – the grain being long and fibrous, giving the branch its flex and strength – follows the eccentric shape of the branch, not the beam.
This fact, the wonkiness of wood if you like, its desire to twist as it dries, for the fibres to deform, has bedevilled carpenters and cabinetmakers since that
caveman’s club bent slightly. It is the reason why oak-framed buildings look the way they do (braced, pegged and jointed in all manner of clever ways to counter the twisting and shrinking), and why we have plywood. We generally like our buildings square and upright and our floors to be flat and level, not made from a raft of round poles strapped together. We like fine furniture to be decorative and smooth. We want conformity and we want wood to do what it’s told.
Plywood is the most familiar form of engineered timber. There aren’t that
temptation of any layer to warp or bend is always countered by the inclinations of the other layers. So your bathroom floor and shelves stay more or less level.
Depending on the glues and sealants used, plywood can be bog-standard –shuttering ply, for example, which has missing bits here and there – furnituregrade, which is in fine layers with no missing bits; WBP, water and boil proof for construction use; or marine-grade, which effectively means you could build a submarine from it.
many trees around that are large enough to provide us with planks 4ft wide and 8ft long and just 1in thick. And, if there were, such a plank would split, curve and weigh a ton. The magic of plywood lies in its construction. If you look at it side on, it’s a bit like a wafer biscuit: layer upon layer of wood, each just a couple of millimetres thick, each ‘peeled’ – as a thin sheet from the trunk of a tree that is being slowly rotated – and each then glued together. The genius of the design of plywood is that the grain of each layer runs in a different direction. The
And if you want to understand how more sophisticated engineered timbers work, they all more or less use the principles and materials enshrined in plywood. In 1m-thick laminated timber beam the layers are Scandinavian softwood, which is stronger than the UK stuff because it’s cold there and the trees are reluctant to grow fast and pulpy. These timbers can theoretically be infinite in length and capable of supporting enormous loads. Think of it as equivalent to a steel beam about a third or quarter of the thickness.
Not surprisingly, therefore, laminated timber frames are just beginning to replace steel. As we strive towards zero carbon in construction, so inevitably we must wean ourselves off materials
This month, our editor-at-large considers the value of engineered timber as a construction material
Ever since man accidentally discovered how to club something to death, wood has proved useful
with a heavy carbon load such as steel and concrete. The Mjøstårnet in Norway is an extraordinary 85m-tall tower, an 18-storey skyscraper built of wood with giant beams of glulam and panels of cross-laminated timber (CLT). You can visit it because it is mixed use and contains public spaces. You can eat in its restaurant, swim in its pool, admire the office space and wonder at the quality of life its residents enjoy. It is like visiting another world where steel and concrete have not been invented and everything is made of tree.
And it is beautiful. The most sensible reason I can think of for using laminated timber is its beauty. It looks prettier than steel. It’s also environmentally friendly in most cases (we’ll come onto steel’s claims in that department another day).
Wood is also inherently a good insulator. If a wooden window is made from bits of timber cleverly glued to form a composite, it won’t deform and the draught won’t get in and it will quietly contribute to the insulation of the building. But, needless to say, for high-quality bits of timber cleverly glued together you should be looking at firms in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Austria – the usual suspects.
These are places where lots of trees grow. Engineered timber often uses bits of tree that are useless for conventional timber products other than newspaper. It locks up CO2, and has a low environmental footprint. Although it is glued together using either phenol or resorcinol adhesives, which are not particularly human-
friendly as they usually contain formaldehyde. In fact, common products such as MDF, particleboard and OSB, the cheap stranded board often sold as Stirling board, can contain significant quantities, which can, in turn, ‘off-gas’, causing irritation, asthma and allergic responses. The gas does, however, degrade quickly. Admittedly, you can buy formaldehyde-free MDF, panels of fibreboard that are held together by dog lick and beams made from the incredible Parallam, which is more like a timber filo pastry than
organized laminated layers, and which uses only steam to soften the lignin in the wood and rebind the strands together. It’s the equivalent of mechanically recovered meat, only a lot healthier for you.
And, of course, you can ensure the quality and sustainability of any product you buy by looking for FSC or other accredited marking. Do I need to tell you that? Yes, I think I probably do. Britain is the largest importer of illegal timber in Europe. Turn to P114 to find a guide to building with timber
ATV’s Grand Designs is looking for exciting projects to feature on the programme. Does your build fit the bill? To apply, please visit granddesigns.tv
A fossil-inspired self-build in Devon
This five-bedroom timber-frame house in Herefordshire was built using traditional construction methods
and
To reduce its overall height, the house is hunkered in a sunken courtyard. The top level is set at an angle to the floor below, creating space for two roof terraces
RIGHT The bespoke mid-century style kitchen includes an island in MDF walnut veneer with a stainless steel worksurface
Before hiring an architect, Colin and Adele Offland had a pretty good idea of what they wanted from their new house. ‘We envisaged a simple, Scandinavian-inspired design with lots of wood and good eco credentials,’ says Colin. ‘But we also love the curves and cantilevers of the American Art Deco beach hotels that we’d seen in Miami.’
The couple planned to construct their new home on the site of the 1980s-built house they’d bought back in 2012 when their children, Billy, 25, and Polly, 22, were teenagers. At the time, it was all they could afford in the affluent Manchester suburb where they grew up.
Colin, 52, the CEO of a film and TV production company, and yoga teacher Adele, 51, contacted Swedish architect Vasco Trigueiros on the recommendation of
LEFT Cowboy the cocker spaniel strolls along the hallway heading towards the kitchen
LEFT The staircase took nearly a year to build. It is made of tactile polished mild steel with timber treads
RIGHT While the ground-floor glazing includes sections of curved glass, on the upper storeys the rounded effect is created by slim flat panes fitted at different angles
one of Colin’s directors. ‘Vasco’s work was beautifully simple and showed an amazing attention to detail,’ Colin recalls. ‘He uncovered what motivated us and asked our views on sustainability. Just a month later he invited us to Stockholm to present us with some drawings. They were perfect and we made very few changes.’
Vasco designed a three-storey house with rounded corners. Its two upper levels, clad in timber, cantilever over a ground floor incorporating big expanses of curved glass. ‘It would be difficult to build, but I knew we couldn’t go back,’ he says. ‘I’d created a beautiful monster.’
The planning process, which started in 2013, took two years and included changing the proposed timber frame to a steel one to provide the big, open spaces the couple
wanted. By the time permission was granted, Billy and Polly were about to fly the nest, which made Adele doubt the wisdom of the entire project. ‘I took a back seat during planning,’ she says. ‘Looking at the drawings I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy ride.’ But in August 2018 the family moved into a rented house and demolition began.
Constrained by a budget of £750,000, Colin decided against appointing a main contractor and instead employed several different teams, including a Latvianbased construction firm, to carry out different parts of the build. Though Vasco joined forces with UK architect Keven Lester, who would ensure the project complied with British Building Regulations, Colin knew it was risky not to have one person in overall charge. ‘We were up against it financially, so I had to cut corners,’ he says.
Despite his efforts, costs spiralled as the labyrinthine steel framework was adjusted to avoid having to install
ABOVE Colin and Adele bought the modular Togo seats by Ligne Roset 20 years ago – they fit perfectly in the cinema room
LEFT The circular skylight is a standout feature of the top floor yoga area. The rug is from Ogeborg
DINING AREA
a column that would spoil the drama of the cantilever. The couple arranged a high-interest loan to keep the project moving, hoping to pay it off by taking out a mortgage once the structure was watertight. But this turned out to be impossible following a dispute with the Latvian company, and the onset of the pandemic.
By February 2020 the site was deserted and the whole project was in jeopardy.
‘I was probably too quick to trust people,’ reflects Colin. ‘If I were to take on this kind of project again I would be
‘We were up against it financially, so I had to cut corners’
ABOVE The games room is overlooked by a top-floor mezzanine
LEFT Adele, Polly and Colin at the pool table
meticulous about the contractual side of things. But though I was putting my family through tough times, I couldn’t drop the ball. I had to see it through.’
The builders returned briefly to complete the timber cladding, but the project only regained full momentum when Colin’s sister, Dawn Golding, who runs the family glass-making business, rallied round to supply all of the glazing, bar the skylights. And when Colin’s work picked up after lockdown the couple appointed specialists including designer and project manager Raju Haider – a friend and one of Adele’s yoga students – to mastermind the build’s final seven months.
The family finally moved into their new home three-and-a-half years after the construction started, and around £1 million over budget.
‘I thought the build would take a year,’ admits Colin. ‘We worked out the finances in 2014, but lots of things
‘It’s clear we could never have built it for our original estimate, but I think it’s worth every penny’
had changed by the time we started building, so we knew early on it would be impossible to stick to that figure.’
The heat, light and hot water is supplied by 30 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof, two air-source heat pumps and two solar storage batteries. The latter weren’t in the original budget, so contributed to the overspend.
Despite her early concerns, Adele has no regrets, especially as Billy and Polly are now back home having completed their studies and travels. ‘As soon as the house started rising out of the ground I fell in love with it,’ she says. ‘It’s clear we could never have built it for our original estimate, but I think it’s worth every penny.’
The architect designed the interior in conjunction with a Swedish-Italian company specialising in bespoke
furniture and fittings. It supplied everything from kitchen cupboards to lighting. ‘The interior was part of the original discussion with Vasco,’ explains Colin. ‘I didn’t know it was unusual for an architect to design the inside of a house, but he made a moodboard for each room and nailed the brief.’
Colin and Adele have found that they enjoy living in a house with curved walls. ‘Round spaces definitely work,’ says Colin. ‘Everything is connected with each area opening beautifully into the next.’ And their remarkable home betrays nothing of the heartache the couple encountered during the build. ‘It’s only at the end of a project like this that you realise how amazing it is,’ says Colin. ‘And that heals everything.’
LEFT Adele and Colin’s bed has an oversized headboard that acts as a room divider, with the dressing area behind RIGHT In the couple’s en suite the terrazzo surfaces are teamed with black brassware and microcement wallsThe concrete garage exterior is covered by a Hyvert living green wall system with automatic watering and feeding
Principal architect Trigueiros Architecture (trigueiros.net)
Architect, technical drawings Keven Lester, CB3 Design (cb3design.co.uk)
Project manager Commercial Kitchen and Bar (commercialkitchenandbar.com)
Structural engineer Bell Munro Consulting (bellmunro.co.uk)
Groundworks Tom Bagley (tom-bagley.co.uk), Setstone Construction (07753 826985)
Decorator Highbridge Decorators (07979 440502)
Building regulation specialist Approved Inspectors (approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk)
Joinery WSG Interiors (wsginteriors.co.uk)
Renewable energy fit and supply
Renewable Planet (renewableplanet.co.uk)
Mechanical, electrical and home automation specialist Hestia Smart Living (hestiasmartliving.com)
Steel design and production Warrington Fabrications (warrfabs.co.uk)
External cedar cladding iWood (iwood.co.uk)
External Corten steel Buy Metal Online (buymetalonline.co.uk)
Rooflights Lamilux (lamilux.com)
External door/window frames Krone (krone.lv)
Window and door glass Float Glass
Industries (floatglass.co.uk)
Balcony glass Specialist Glass (specialistglass.co.uk)
Balcony frames ABI Aluminium (abialuminiumltd.co.uk)
Staircase Scala (scala-interiors.co.uk)
Garage door Deuren (deuren.co.uk)
Driveway resin Oltco (oltco.co.uk)
Kitchen, fitted furniture and lighting design
Since Nineteen Seventy Three (since1973.se) Microcement floors Relentless Microcement (relentlessmicrocement.com)
Engineered wood floors Naked Floors (nakedfloors.com)
Kitchen tap Quooker (quooker.co.uk)
Kitchen appliances Bertazzoni (uk.bertazzoni.com)
Bathroom suppliers Zest Bathroom & Kitchens (zestbathroomsandkitchens.co.uk) Shower screens Boss Glass (bossglass.co.uk)
Terrazzo tiles La San Giorgio (lasangiorgio.it)
Spa bathroom tiles Waxman Ceramics (waxmanarchitectural.co.uk)
Bathroom basins Alape (alape.com)
Bathroom taps Dornbracht (dornbracht.com) Bath Lusso (lussostone.com)
Green wall I Want Plants (iwantplants.co.uk)
Battery storage Tesla (tesla.com)
Rugs Ogeborg (ogeborg.se)
Bedside lighting and cabinet hardware
Buster & Punch (busterandpunch.com)
Modular seating Ligne Roset (ligne-roset.com) Bed linen LinenMe (linenme.com)
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There’s a deliberate difference in style between the lower and upper floors of this house that was once two flats
Homeowner Ben relaxes in the openplan living room on the ground floor
LOCATION Dalston, east London
TYPE OF PROPERTY Remodelled Victorian terrace BEDROOMS 4
PROJECT STARTED August 2020
PROJECT FINISHED March 2021
SIZE 188.2sqm
PROPERTY COST £1.45 million
BUILD COST £393,000
enedict Spence and Zoe Boyle were up for a project and the terraced house they found presented the ideal opportunity. Divided into two apartments, a one-bedroom and a three-bedroom flat, the property had the potential for conversion into a single home.
Cinematographer Ben, 40, was enthused by the prospect of living in the area. ‘Dalston has a great mix of people, it’s a microcosm of London,’ he says. ‘Plus, the house has fantastic bones – lots of original period features and natural light.’
Both Ben and Zoe, 37, who is an actor, realised that the one-bedroom flat at the lower ground level of the house could become an open-plan kitchen with living and dining areas, while upstairs maintained its period character. ‘We wanted to keep the look of the Victorian terrace, so we were keen to retain the proportions of the upper floors,’ Zoe explains.
The couple had an architect in mind. George Bradley, a director of Bradley Van Der Straeten, had been a friend of Zoe’s since they went to university together, and had renovated a flat for her in the past. ‘George and Jessica Williamson, our project architect and project manager, understood what we wanted and did a really good job of refining all of our various influences,’ says Ben. ‘The practice took care of the planning process, so from our point of view it was incredibly smooth.’
The couple were gearing up to start the project in March 2020 when the first Covid lockdown hit and they had to quickly reassess. ‘We both work in TV and film, and that work stopped overnight so we were looking at zero income with hefty rental and mortgage payments,’ says Zoe. The pandemic put paid to the loft extension they’d planned, but they decided to press ahead with the rest of the build and, in August, the work got underway.
Although a bigger extension would have been possible, it would have involved structurally bridging a public sewer that sat at the foundation line, so Ben and Zoe settled on a smaller infill design, which still gave them a sizeable lower ground floor. Built on concrete strip foundations, the extension has a steel box frame to support the building’s
ABOVE Because the house is in a conservation area, the replacement double-glazed windows by Concept Linea had to be in keeping with the original windows in the terrace‘The house has fantastic bones – lots of original period features and natural light’
HOMES LONDON
The rear living room fireplace fell apart during the building work. The contractor created a wooden replacement and painted it in Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball
back wall. ‘We kept the steel and concrete to a minimum, and used a suspended timber floor,’ explains George. The south-facing skylight is a simple rectangle, but the builder added ply surrounds and joists to extend over it and filter the daylight.
A new plywood staircase rises up from the lower ground to the ground floor and, as Ben and Zoe wanted to keep the floors above intact, it’s directly below the staircase to the first and second levels.
The couple visited the site every two weeks. ‘The work on the lower ground floor seemed enormous, technical and impressive, and it was exciting as the months progressed and the shape of the house started to show,’ says Ben. There were no major changes made during the build, although there were hundreds of tweaks, with knock-on decisions required.
LEFT AND RIGHT The original cornicing and wood panelling in the ground-floor living room were part of the appeal of the house.
The Pukka sofa is from Ligne Roset
LEFT On the kitchen island the induction hob is teamed with a built-in downdraught extractor. It is lit by a Light-Point slim fitting from Lampe Mesteren RIGHT Zoe reads in the lower-ground floor kitchen. The Carerra units from DIY Kitchens are painted in Preference Red by Farrow & Ball
‘The work on the lower ground floor seemed enormous, technical and impressive’
The open-plan kitchen is at the cool, north-facing front of the house, with the seating area in the sunniest part at the back overlooking the garden. ‘We love cooking together, so having a big island was a real priority, and by including a hob we can chat to our guests while we’re at it,’ says Zoe.
Though not part of the initial plan, the couple had enough leftover funds in their budget to replace all the single-glazed windows, which were in poor condition and losing heat. ‘The cost was around £35,000, but we felt it would make a huge difference to the house’s energy efficiency,’ says Ben. The replacements had to be a close match to the Victorian designs due to the planning constraints of the conservation area. ‘The new windows are double glazed with slim frames and glazing bar widths that replicate the originals as far as possible,’ says George.
An unexpected expense resulted from moving the gas and electric meters 3m or so and then upgrading them to newer versions. ‘The meters took a huge amount of paperwork and time, costing around £6,000 – which was far more than we expected,’ says Zoe.
On the ground floor, the original cornicing was repainted, but the ceiling roses were the wrong proportion for the rooms and were replaced, while corbels were added to enhance the fire surrounds. On the first floor, Ben and Zoe toyed with the idea of squeezing in another bedroom instead of having a big bathroom, but they’re glad they didn’t go down that route. ‘The bathroom gets so much light and it feels incredibly luxurious,’ says Zoe.
The couple were set on including vibrant colour throughout the house. ‘The eclectic mix of influences on our Pinterest board included super-modern, traditional English, and 1960s/70s design,’ says Ben.
ABOVE The bright extension benefits from a large skylight. The wide floor-toceiling sliding doors are from Maxlight
RIGHT A new plywood staircase was built for the extension. Careful detailing ensures the balustrading lines up with the stair treads
The couple wanted a 1970s-style green shagpile carpet for their bedroom. When the supplier let them down, they chose Solar carpet from Brockway in Tangerine instead RIGHT The first floor bathroom is large enough for a walkin shower and a separate bath
‘At one point it looked as though the entire house was going to be green.’ Painting the extension walls white and adding colour through the kitchen cabinets and staircase was the architect’s suggestion, while the green main bathroom and a yellow guest bathroom were Zoe’s choices.
Just before moving in, Ben and Zoe found that the loft insulation had been shoved too deeply into the eaves, creating humidity and causing mould, which a specialist company removed. And the timber flooring on the lower ground floor was warping and had to be relaid before being sanded and refinished. They had already agreed to leave their rented home, so had no option but to move in while the work was done. ‘Our furniture ended up rammed into the living rooms,’ says Ben.
But after just seven months of building work the new open-plan living space and the renovated rooms above were all finished. ‘We love the way the two parts of the house exist together,’ says Zoe.
Architect Bradley Van Der Straeten (b-vds.co.uk)
Structural engineer Constant Structural Design (constantsd.com)
Contractor Optimal Build (07838 299651)
Building Control Stroma (stroma.com)
Sliding doors Maxlight (maxlight.co.uk)
Windows Concept Linea (concept-linea.com)
Steel-framed fire door Metali (metaliwindows.co.uk)
Sockets and switches Schneider Electric (se.com)
Lighting Lampe Mesteren (lampemesteren.com),
Rockett St George (rockettstgeorge.co.uk)
Kitchen units DIY Kitchens (diy-kitchens.com)
Worksurface Cosentino (cosentino.com)
Appliances Smeg (smeguk.com) Sink Franke (franke.com)
Extractor Luxair (luxairhoods.com)
Bathroom fittings CP Hart (cphart.co.uk), UK Bathrooms (ukbathrooms.com)
Flooring Hørning (horningfloor.dk)
Vinyl flooring The Colour Flooring Company (colourflooring.co.uk)
Pavers Bradstone (bradstone.com)
Tiles Domus (domusgroup.com)
The existing two-storey outrigger was knocked through to join up with the new infill extension
Bedroom carpet Brockway (brockway.co.uk)
Paint Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com), Little Greene (littlegreene.com), Paint & Paper Library (paintandpaperlibrary.com)
Bed Heal’s (heals.co.uk)
Sofas Camerich (camerich.co.uk), Ligne Roset (ligne-roset.com)
Made from biodegradable materials, Briiv is a sustainable air purifier for the home
Briiv uses natural materials and biodegradable filters for its ecofriendly air purifier, a green alternative to plastic-heavy high-efficiency particle-absorbing (HEPA) systems. Moss, coconut coir and carbon nanofibre with silk filter air at up to 36sqm per hour – that’s equivalent to having more than 3,000 plants in your home, according to nature.com.
Polluted indoor air can exacerbate allergies, make it harder to sleep and impair cognitive function. The Briiv device removes allergens, dust, mould and other airborne particles. With its stylish design and
smart-home technology, this awardwinning air purifier also creates a eyecatching feature in any room.
Air purifiers and their filters are bought in their millions every year and most will take millennia to decompose in landfill. Briiv sets a new standard for the future of sustainable air purification, as it’s 100 per cent recyclable and biodegradable materials ensure that it won’t contribute plastic or other polluting waste to the planet. It’s an ideal solution for anyone wanting cleaner air that doesn’t cost the Earth.
TOP Eco credentials and good looks combine in the Briiv air purifier, £299
ABOVE The filter can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app
● For more information, visit briiv.co.uk
The windows are triple glazed and have lowmaintenance composite timber and aluminium frames
With a roof full of solar photovoltaic tiles, this house has free energy all year round
WORDS ALEXANDRA PRATT PHOTOGRAPHY SIMON BURT
reeing themselves from high energy bills was not the motivation for Christin Peglow and David Archer to build a home to Passivhaus standard, but it will certainly be one of the benefits. The couple and their children – Lissie, 12, and Lotte, 9 – were living in Bristol, but with Lissie about to start a new school, they began looking for a property outside the city.
Somewhere with a good sense of community was an important requirement for architect Christin, 44, and David, 53, so the couple were happy to find a house in the thriving village of Chew Stoke. Built in the 1960s, the new home needed significant work to make it suitable for the family, and the couple started to think about
knocking it down and building a replacement.
‘The biggest rooms faced north, it had a poor layout and minimal insulation,’ says Christin.
‘Refurbishment would have been a compromise and renovation costs were similar to building new, especially considering VAT rates.’
Christin and David, who is an architectural master planner, took pre-planning advice on what might be permitted from the local authority, which prompted them to go ahead with their self-build idea. ‘It allowed us to make the most of the southerly aspect, the views, the natural light and the relationship with the garden,’ says Christin. ‘It also meant we could design something interesting and of its time.’
With two storeys, the top floor extends over
A planting scheme and design for the garden was devised by Carolyn Marks Garden Design
Exterior aluminium powder-coated blinds from Internorm help regulate solar gain and prevent the house overheating in summer
‘It allowed us to make the most of the southerly aspect, the views and the natural light’
In the living area a modular Amsterdam sofa from BoConcept faces the garden. Christin and David took down some trees to improve the views
The Eames recliner in the snug is a copy of the classic design
the ground level on the south-facing side to provide shade for the open-plan living area, which has two walls of floor-to-ceiling glazing. Although built along Passivhaus principles, Christin and David’s home is not certified as the amount of glazing makes it less thermally efficient than the rigorous certification standard. This was a satisfactory trade-off for the couple, who prioritised maximising the views and having easy access to the garden.
A Passivhaus-standard level of insulation throughout keeps the entire house cosy. Below the concrete raft foundation, semi-rigid insulation prevents heat loss through the floor and radiates it back into the home. Christin’s design harnesses this rising warm air to heat upstairs, helped by a double-height void – a central open space from floor to roof which the landing crosses like a bridge. In summer automated rooflights cool the entire house by venting the warm air.
Christin and David chose to invest in solar energy, using photovoltaic (PV) roof tiles to generate their home’s electricity. Fixed on the south-facing roof
Engineered oak flooring, factory finished with two coats of dark oak hard wax oil, is a practical choice for the entrance hallslope, the 440 tiles each produce 15W. Matching plain concrete tiles cover the north-facing slope.
A solar storage battery holds up to 13.5kWh of electricity generated during the day in the summer, which can be used at night. It switches to storing cheaper nighttime energy from the grid in winter, costing about £300 per year. But as they are paid for sending excess energy to the grid during the summer, the cost for electricity amounts to zero in a 12-month period. ‘The battery app predicts the weather and required nighttime charging, and helps us use electricity efficiently by only turning on the dishwasher and washing machine once the water is hot, the car is charged and the battery is full,’ says Christin. Two electric radiators and a woodburning stove provide extra cosiness on grey winter days.
One of Christin’s biggest challenges was achieving the airtightness level needed for a Passivhaus-standard
home without a conventional heating system. ‘Our first air test failed, as the sealing tape was incompatible with the airtightness membrane,’ says Christin. ‘With the help of our carpenter we went around re-taping every joint for two weeks, which led to delays in the schedule.’
Although some aspects of managing the project were challenging, on the whole Christin enjoyed the process and the knowledge and experience provided by the subcontractors she chose. Support also came in the form of their neighbour, farmer James Baker, who allowed lorryloads of deliveries into his yard, which he then transferred by tractor up the steep drive to the site.
The family have settled comfortably into their home with the year-long build a distant memory. ‘I love opening the big sliding doors and cooking while the children run in and out,’ says Christin. ‘This house is very definitely “our space”. Plus, it feels good to be energy independent.’
Christin’s carpenter made the built-in bedroom shelving LEFT A low bathroom window allows bathers to enjoy the view while soaking in the tub
Architect Christin Peglow, Pad Design (pad-design.com)
Structural designer George Holland,
Element Structures (elementstructures.com)
Airtightness BAT Building Analysis and Testing (batltd.co.uk),
Mendip Energy (mendipenergy.com)
Plumber Steven Taylor (steventaylor.help)
Electrician Simon Dias (simonselectrics.co.uk)
Carpentry Mark Johnson (07860 122291)
Plasterer Jason Moloney (07515 476577)
Decorator Mark Williams (07894 047886)
Hard landscaping and substructure
Adam Roberts Groundworks (07792 535764)
Soft landscaping Carolyn Marks Garden Design (carolynmarks.co.uk)
Insulated raft Isoquick (isoquick.co.uk)
Structure and timber frame All Timber Frames (alltimberframes.co.uk)
Topsoil retained from the excavation work was used to create the raised beds where the family grow fruit and vegetables
Insulation Back to Earth (backtoearth.co.uk)
Windows and external blinds Internorm (uk.internorm.com)
Rooflights Velux (velux.co.uk)
PV tiles Marley Edgemere (marley.co.uk),
TBS Specialist Products (tbsspecialistproducts.co.uk)
Flat roof Steve Poole (poolesingleply.co.uk)
Cladding Ben White Carpentry (07552 951343),
Timbersource (timbersource.co.uk)
Builders’ merchant RO Dando & Sons (dando.org.uk)
Paving slabs Miety Stone (mietystone.co.uk)
MVHR Blue Ocean Ventilation (bosw.co.uk),
Systemair (systemair.com)
Hot water solar PV cylinder Heatrae Sadia (heatraesadia.com)
PV commission, Frontius inverter and Tesla battery Solarsense (solarsense-uk.com)
Pocket doors Eclisse (eclisse.co.uk)
Timber floor Broadleaf Timber (broadleaftimber.com)
Tiles Mandarin Stone (mandarinstone.com)
Bathrooms Angel Interiors (angelinteriors.co.uk), Bathstore (bathstore.com)
Kitchen cabinets Ikea (ikea.com/gb)
Kitchen worksurface Worktop Express (worktop-express.co.uk)
Worksurface finish Osmo (osmouk.com)
Stove Bristol Heart Woodburners (heartwoodburners.co.uk)
Pendant lights Mullan Lighting (mullanlighting.com)
Sofas BoConcept (boconcept.com)
Bed John Lewis (johnlewis.com)
At Baufritz, we offer unique architecture and building services all under one roof to make coordinating your dream house project seamless, simple, and enjoyable.
Get information at #HouseNeumann on www.baufritz.co.uk
An overhang above the front door keeps off the rain. The walls are clad in larch timber
Artwork, books and nature come together in this eco home
After 10 career moves spanning 30 years in Germany, the USA and, most recently, Switzerland, Michael and Gabi Neumann were ready to return to north Germany, where they both grew up. A self-build project was their preference from the start. ‘Having built a home before, we knew this was the only way our ideas would get full consideration,’ says Michael.
Their search for a suitable plot close to Hamburg began in the summer of 2018. In November the couple booked a flight to check out a site, and by chance Gabi spotted another plot, south of the city, posted on a property website the same evening. They made an appointment and drove to the last-minute find straight from the airport. ‘We were the first people to visit and despite the dark, rainy day we
LEFT Michael and Gabi’s vizlador Charly and labrador Sam relax under the Ligne Roset dining table BELOW The island includes a Miele induction hob
RIGHT Floor-to-ceiling shelving in the library was built to order by bespoke furniture manufacturer Noll
felt the magic of the place and already had some ideas of where a house could go,’ says Michael.
Close to the forest and the coast, the 12,500sqm plot has lots of trees, a small pond and many pathways. The couple made a follow-up appointment and left with a handshake agreement, flying back to Zürich the same afternoon. ‘Luckily we were the first and last people to visit the site – it was perfect timing,’ Michael explains.
When Michael, 54, and Gabi, 53, built a home near Wiesbaden in 2008 they’d decided against commissioning modular house builder Baufritz, finding its houses a little old-fashioned. But after investigating further for the new project, they changed their opinion. ‘We were surprised how modern the company’s designs had become,’ says Michael. ‘And the headquarters are close to Zürich.’
Michael, who had been the CEO of a medium-sized chemical company in Switzerland, but is retraining as a health consultant, and Gabi, a former travel agent, wanted their new home to be eco-friendly and robust. ‘It needed to be practical to cope with our dogs Sam and Charly,’ says Gabi. ‘Baufritz architect Stephan Rehm got our ideas immediately and within two hours we came away with the first hand-drawn designs.’
The couple hoped to build a bungalow, but due to local planning restrictions the house had to be two storeys. During four visits to the factory, the design and detailing of the house were nailed down. They were able to choose from a wide range of fittings, from kitchen cabinets to flooring, skirting boards and door handles. ‘We turned up well prepared each time, and were able to make quick decisions,’ says Michael.
As the couple were based in another country, the company managed the project for them. ‘This was a good decision because Covid restrictions made travel difficult or impossible,’ says Gabi. In August 2020 work began on the foundations and in three weeks the concrete slab had cured and the build could begin. Since the timber
‘Having built a home, we knew this was the only way our ideas would get full consideration’
LEFT The couple commissioned two paintings by Patrizia Casagranda especially for the landing
BELOW Instead of lights on bedside tables, the couple’s room has pendant LEDs on long cables
RIGHT In the first-floor bathroom, all the oak furniture was made by Noll. A shower is slotted neatly behind the partition wall
PROJECT TEAM
House design and construction Baufritz (baufritz.co.uk)
Foundations Glatthaar (glatthaar-gbg.com)
Lighting company Heimatlicht (heimatlicht.eu)
Units Küchenwerkstatt Hebel (hebel-kuechen.de)
Ovens and hob Miele (miele.co.uk)
Fitted furniture Noll (innenausbau-koblenz.de)
Basin Duravit (duravit.co.uk)
Shower Grohe (grohe.co.uk)
Oak flooring Bauwerk (bauwerk-parkett.com)
Sofas Cor (cor.de)
Dining table and chairs, bed
Ligne Roset (ligne-roset.com)
Outdoor furniture Kettal (kettal.com)
Paintings Patrizia Casagranda (patriziacasagranda.com)
frame, insulated panels and many of the fixtures were pre-constructed the house went up in just three days. ‘We were on site to watch, and it was great to see our ideas become a three-dimensional reality,’ says Gabi. The rest of the work took six months.
Clad in untreated larch that will turn a silver grey over time, the triple-glazed house has a green wildflower roof, an air-source heat pump, a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MHVR) system and underfloor heating. The energy-efficient interior and exterior LED lighting system creates preset schemes that can be altered during the day and night. A priority for the couple was to display their art collection effectively. ‘Michael had a site meeting where he used big photographic printouts to determine the final spot for every painting and to finalise the design and the number of lights for each one,’ says Gabi.
Downstairs the open-plan living area opens onto a west-facing terrace, which can also be reached from the library. Stacked with books on subjects ranging from history to politics, science fiction to wellbeing, the library is where Michael and Gabi read or listen to music, and it includes a couple of paintings specially commissioned for the room.
As the sun moves across the sky, light filtered by the surrounding trees falls across the terrace. ‘Our home has made us more conscious of nature than ever,’ says Gabi. ‘As the garden and green roof mature we hope to see more insects, frogs and birds.’ The couple, their dogs and their treasured artworks seem to have found a permanent home.
‘Luckily we were the first and last people to visit the plot – it was perfect timing’
A low wooden fence divides the dining area from another, more intimate seating area
The outdoor lighting features LEDs with a warm 2,700 kelvin (K) colour temperature that doesn’t attract insects at night
DINING
LIVING AREA
PLANT
Following the launch of a series of new products, a family-owned luxury glazed door and window company continues to innovate and create inspiring designs. Express Bi-Folding Doors is one of the country’s leading manufacturers of bi-folding and sliding doors, skylights and windows.
TV presenter George Clark, Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Warwick Davies and interior designer Linda Barker are among some of the celebrities who have been impressed by the firm’s products.
After a record year in 2021, the Leedsbased firm, which is run by a father and
son duo, has unveiled some cutting-edge ways to improve your home. The XP View system has been completely redesigned with ultra-slim sightlines and is one of the highest specification bi-folding doors in the world. It is joined by the XP88 bi-folding door system, which has even slimmer sightlines at a lower price.
‘Express’s bi-folding doors are amazing,’ says Warwick Davis. ‘We’ve got them in our kitchen-diner, so we can open them up and the room becomes part of the garden. They fold away out of sight and look fantastic. The other feature I really like is the integrated Venetian blinds. They’re
powered by solar electric, they don’t get dusty, and they look amazing. The quality of the product is second to none.’
The Express patio door range has increased and the XP Glide sliding doors have been overhauled and now feature a reinforced, slimmer interlock, reducing the sightline from 35mm to just 20mm.
Completing the line-up is the new XP Glide 25, an entry-level sliding door system boasting a sightline of just 25mm, which Express hopes will be a big seller.
‘This is where the glazing market is right now,’ says Linda Barker. ‘Thin frames, a lot of super-efficient glass and a modern
The XP Glide sliding door, with its new slimmer sightline, can be seen in all Express showroomsThere’s a wealth of exciting new designs to choose from at Express Bi-Folding Doors
72 OCTOBER 2022 / MAGAZINE.COM INNOVATIONS IN GLAZING
approach to windows and doors. This is important as it sets the scene for the whole house. I always recommend Express because I believe and trust in what it does and genuinely love the products.’
To see for yourself, visit one the company’s four showrooms, from the new Weybridge site to Leeds, Glasgow or Romford. ‘The Leeds showroom is absolutely fantastic, and I’m genuinely blown away by it,’ says George Clarke. ‘Having had a tour myself, it gave me
a sense of scale and the whole set-up is incredibly impressive.’
‘Our popular XP View has been completely overhauled and modified to create what we believe will be the highest spec and most aesthetically pleasing bifolding door system available in the world,’ says Steve Bromberg, managing director of Express Bi-Folding Doors. ‘Add in our other new products and existing lines, and we have what we feel is the strongest lineup of luxury doors and windows available on the market today.’
● To find out more and see showroom locations, visit expressbifolds.co.uk
LEFT George Clarke takes a tour of the company’s Leeds headquarters BELOW LEFT Interior designer Linda Barker with the new XP View system
GEORGE CLARKE, TV PRESENTER
‘The Leeds showroom is absolutely fantastic, and I’m genuinely blown away by it’
Designs Live
The Buildings Safety Act is anticipated to shake up the UK construction industry when it becomes a legal requirement towards the end of 2022.
All homes built in the UK must be completed with a structural warranty certificate at the point of completion or sale, without which a fine of up to 10 per cent of the sale value might be issued as failing to have a certificate will be a criminal offence.
A structural warranty is an insurance policy that covers new structural works, from new-builds to renovations and extensions.
Companies such as ABC+ Warranty employ chartered building surveyors to inspect the building works at critical stages. This is to check that they are being completed correctly and in line with planning approval. It allows defects to be identified and rectified early. If all is well, a structural warranty is issued.
When choosing a warranty provider, here are some things to bear in mind. Are the surveyors it employs chartered? This
is essential as they have the qualifications and experience to spot defective works. Some providers appoint Building Control inspectors, who sign off on Building Regulations, to survey projects. ABC+ Warranty doesn’t recommend this approach because Building Control inspectors are less qualified than chartered surveyors and, with only one set of eyes on the build, there’s more opportunity for defects to be missed.
Choose a firm regulated by a recognised industry body such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (rics.org). Check for online customer reviews you can compare. If you find a company you like, read the small print, look out for registration fees, renewal fees or holding bonds.
If you’re looking for a company to put your mind at ease, ABC+ Warranty is regulated by the RICS. It only uses its own in-house chartered building surveyors to carry out its high-quality inspections. It charges no hidden fees, and it is highly rated by its customers online.
Ensure your self-build is protected against defective design, workmanship and materials with ABC+ Warranty This family home was certified by ABC+ Warranty BELOW A new-build ready for a render applicationThe Grand Build hall has a wealth of inspiration, ideas and suppliers for your construction project
Internorm, Europe’s leading architectural window brand, provides high-quality individual solutions for self-builds, extensions and renovation projects. It has a pioneering approach and passion for glazing – always with the aim of making every home smarter, more energy-efficient and secure. The company designs and manufactures triple-glazed timber-aluminium, uPVC and uPVC-aluminium windows. Its door ranges include lift-and-slide, French and entrance doors. All products are manufactured at its state-of-the-art facilities in Austria and are suitable for lowenergy and Passivhaus projects. Visit stand B220 (uk.internorm.com)
Fortis Aluminium is a UK manufacturer of thermally efficient, highly secure front and garage door systems. All its products are engineered to last and withstand the toughest of environments, with every detail considered and perfected. Find out more on stand B460 (fortisal.co.uk)
Take a seat in the theatre to see Kevin McCloud and a fantastic line-up of speakers, including sustainable living expert James Strawbridge, property guru and TV presenter Kunle Barker, designer and upcycler Max McMurdo, and home interiors influencer Jessica Grizzle. From left, Daniel Gender Sherry, Andy Robbins, Kevin McCloud and Michael JoffeFounded by chartered architectural technologist Kris Baxter in 2008, Studio 11 Architecture is a collective of creative designers producing distinctive architecture with a commitment to delivering your vision. It takes pride in understanding what makes your house a home by getting to know you and your aspirations. As a multidisciplinary practice with an in-house team of architectural designers, engineers and energy consultants, Studio 11 Architecture can create a design solution for any concept you like. Come and chat to its planning specialists and designers on stand B27 (studio11architecture.co.uk)
Construction products retailer Insul Hub will showcase Isotex at Grand Designs Live. This building block is made with cementbonded wood fibre, and is filled with concrete on site. The build system is also known as Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF). Isotex is quick to install and offers exceptional performance characteristics. Visit stand B630 (insulhubuk.com)
S&L Engineering provides all aspects of architectural metalwork for the home, including contemporary staircases, glass balustrades, balconies, gates and railings. Based in Cambridgeshire, but working nationwide, the company takes pride in being a small concern so it can offer each customer a personalised service. All its ironwork is shot-blasted and powder-coated in your choice of colour. Go to stand B310 (sandlengineering.co.uk)
Hanse Haus designs and builds bespoke, pre-manufactured, energy-efficient homes. Founded in 1929, the company delivers around 400 houses across Europe, including the UK, each year. Every Hanse Haus design is a one-off that’s carefully constructed by a team of master craftsmen, engineers, architects and structural experts. The company’s thermally efficient walls have exceptional insulation as standard to help save on heating costs and protect the environment. Plus, you can choose interior and exterior fittings at the Hanse Haus sample centre, where the company’s specialist knowledge is readily available. Visit stand B44B (hanse-haus.de)
Visit our showrooms in: London, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire and West Sussex.
Meet with the Kütchenhaus team for free design inspiration and expert advice on your kitchen project. You’ll be able to see and touch the Riva range on display in the textured concrete slate, concrete grey and walnut finishes. There will also be an open-plan workspace and kitchen from the Artis range. For more information, go to stand K100. (uk.kutchenhaus.com)
Don’t miss the NatWest team, who will be on hand at the show to discuss mortgages, how you could be more energy efficient and how to get financially fitter. The company has a range of products for people looking to buy, remortgage or buy to let, including green mortgages with lower rates for properties with a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of A or B. Exclusions and eligibility criteria apply. Early repayment charges and product fees may apply. Head to stand B605. (natwest.com)
Ask an Expert is a free one stop shop for useful tips and information, with specialists including architects, renovation experts from the Federation of Master Builders (fmb.org.uk) and project managers from Studio Charrette (studiocharrette.co.uk). Bring your plans, budget and ideas along for a detailed assessment. Advance booking is recommended. Visit granddesignslive.com
ABC+ Warranty is an award-winning structural warranty provider. Its products include a sixyear professional consultant certificate, which financially assures build quality, enabling a sale to go through or for remortgaging to take place within six years, and a ten-year structural warranty protecting against defects in new, converted or renovated buildings. Visit stand B225. (architectscertificate.co.uk)
Inspiration for your refurbishment project, from glazing and kitchen suppliers to the Ask an Expert centre
Kütchenhaus’s striking Riva kitchen
Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage
A Quooker boiling water tap is safer and more efficient than a kettle, and it uses less water. With a kettle, sometimes more water is boiled than needed, but with a Quooker, only the required amount is delivered. The vacuum tank keeps water at 110°C under pressure, maintaining the temperature without using much energy. With the addition of the new Quooker Cube, you can have filtered chilled and sparkling water too. Find out more on stand K110 (quooker.co.uk)
Whether you’re embarking on a new-build or want to transform your existing home, Express Bi-Folding Doors supplies market-leading products tailored to your requirements. The company’s bespoke bi-folding and sliding doors and aluminium glazing products provide excellent performance which lasts for many years. Browse the range at Grand Designs Live, where you’ll find all the inspiration you need to create the home of your dreams. Visit stand B200 (expressbifolds.co.uk)
Thomas de Cruz Architects & Designers is a small practice specialising in contemporary homes, with an emphasis on imaginative interiors and creative lighting. Visit the company’s stand to find out how an uplifting scheme of serene spaces filled with natural light promotes health and happiness. Come and say hello, and discover how Thomas de Cruz Architects & Designers transforms everyday home life, on stand B10. (thomasdecruz.com)
Ego Italiano is renowned worldwide for its innovative, customisable sofas, armchairs and furnishings. All the designs are produced in Italy, using materials selected with care and passion. Offering a choice of more than 300 shades of leather and a wide range of fabrics, each piece can be tailored to your style. Visit stand L200 (bluewater.egoitaliano.com)
New for 2022, the interiors stage is where you’ll find upcycling workshops in partnership with The House of Upcycling. Drop by to enjoy a programme of talks and demonstrations. (thehouseofupcycling. com)
Home shopping portal ufurnish.com is hosting a stage in the interiors hall, where you can hear from retailers as they discuss furnishing trends and advise on the best designs for your project. Go to stand L805. (ufurnish.com)
Adjustable bed and chair expert Adjustamatic wants to change how you think about comfort. Enjoy a better quality of rest, both night and day, in its beds and riser recliner chairs. Head to stand L48. (adjustablebeds.co.uk)
Find decorating and design ideas, along with opportunities to buy the latest products Relax on the Anais sofa by Ego ItalianoWe are passionate about creating comfortable and inspiring garden spaces for you to relax in and enjoy. Our wide range of British manufactured, innovative products enhance your outdoor area. Our fully bespoke service, is tailored to your needs and our professional installation team will install to the very highest of standards.
The Gardens area is where you’ll find an exciting collection of exhibitors supplying everything from outdoor buildings to landscaping materials
Custom Garden Rooms manufactures and installs high-quality, timber-framed outdoor rooms and annexes to bespoke specifications. Its approach to customer service and attention to detail means that it can deliver great buildings every time. Take a look for yourself on stand G210 (customgardenrooms.com)
Head over to Hydropool’s stand to see the world’s only self-cleaning hot tubs and swim spas. Plus, check out the Serenity range, with features such as WeatherSeal insulation and ClearSpring filtration. On a budget? There will be exclusive show offers, as well as the chance to have a VIP consultation. Find out more at stand G120 (hydropoolspas.co.uk)
Dedicated to creating comfortable and inspiring garden living spaces, The Great British Awning & Blind Company offers a wide choice of high-quality awnings, blinds and pergolas in a range of styles and finishes. All its products are custom built and installed. For more information, go to stand G200 (gbawnings.co.uk)
Talasey Group is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of high-quality, ethically sourced landscaping products. Its ranges include natural stone paving, Italian-inspired porcelain paving, and composite fencing, decking and cladding. Discuss your landscaping requirements with the Talasey team on stand G21. (talasey.co.uk)
The Tetra is a stylish option from Custom Garden Rooms
by Sykamore Design
At House Martin Shepherd Huts we offer beautiful, bespoke, premium quality Shepherd Huts. Our self-build shepherd hut kits provide all the components and know-how you’ll need to build your very own shepherd hut, anywhere!
That said, if you’re not the hands-on type, then our team can travel to all suitable sites throughout the UK and construct your hut.
01476 585575 www.housemartinhuts.com
New to the NEC, this show runs alongside Grand Designs Live and is dedicated to eco-friendly products and services. You’ll find free expert advice, ideas and solutions for making your home more sustainable
Ripple enables you to own a piece of a large-scale wind farm or solar park as part of a co-operative society with thousands of other members. You can then have the low-cost, green electricity supplied to your home via the grid. With electricity prices at record highs, renewable power from wind farms and solar parks remains the UK’s cheapest source. Find out more at stand Z50 (rippleenergy.com)
Have you bought an electric vehicle (EV) or are you thinking of doing so? The experts at energy supplier E.ON will be on hand to explain why this is a great time to make the switch. Its smart EV chargers are fast and intuitive, offering an easy home charging solution. To discuss everything from installation to aftercare, go to stand Z15 (eonenergy.com)
Ripple manages several wind farms across the UK
in partnership with
With its range of eco smart products, myenergi is at the forefront of renewable smart technology, design innovation and manufacturing. Renowned for its industry-leading electric vehicle (EV) charger, Zappi, the company also offers a collection of products that make use of your home-generated solar or wind energy. They can all connect to the company’s state-of-the-art app, allowing you to manage, maximise and monitor your energy use, and helping to make the transition to electric as simple as possible. These intelligent and futureproof energy-control solutions are developed and manufactured in the UK. Visit stand Z45. (myenergi.com)
Energy supplier OVO Energy aims to provide a simple, fair and sustainable experience for all its customers. The company has spent the last decade investing in market-leading technology, customer-service operations and digital products to help its customers cut their carbon emissions through its sustainability strategy, Plan Zero. Visit the Green Living Advice Zone powered by OVO Energy to speak to a whole host of eco experts. (ovoenergy.com)
Kensa Heat Pumps is the leading manufacturer and supplier of ground-source heat pumps in the UK. The company’s products are engineered with the British home in mind, allowing simple installation with technical support, a UK-wide network of approved installation partners, and the largest online resource for ground-source heat pumps. Go to stand Z10 (kensaheatpumps.com)
Leading steel construction product manufacturer Catnic has recently launched a new concept for building extensions and garden rooms. Catnic Matrix is a prefabricated panel system that comes together quickly and easily on site and forms an airtight superstructure in days. The Catnic Urban standing seam roof is a contemporary quick-fit system that is seven times lighter than standard roof tiles and suitable for solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installation. Both conform to the new Part L Building Regulations. For more details, head over to stand B270 (catnic.com)
Kevin McCloud showcases some of the most innovative eco-friendly products in the Green Heroes section. This year will see ten new products along with four from previous years that have paved the way in eco-conscious design. One of these is the BubbleSpa shower from Kelda Showers. Its AirPowered technology uses 50 to 60 per cent less water and energy compared to conventional designs. (keldashowers.com)
“What a difference a day makes as the saying goes, and yes, that’s all it took to install.”
Mr & Mrs Barber, Wells
“There is no doubt that the conservatory is much warmer than previously, and no, the room is not darker either!”
David Birch, Chichester
“The conservatory is now used throughout all seasons of the year and is far more comfortable to sit in whatever the weather outside.”
Mr & Mrs Gibson, Portishead
“This is the best thing we have done in this house. Used to run with condensation and now zero.”
Karen Thomas, Chippenham
“You could have fried an egg on the table in there in the summer, I now look upon the conservatory as a new room. It is quiet, restful and cosy.”
Carol Doyle, Surrey
“I’ve already turned the underfloor heating down. Lovely job guys, thank you!”
Anne Bird, Bristol
“For the first time in 10 years we do not have to close the door to the conservatory when it rains, as the noise is minimal and before I found it difficult to hear the TV over the loudness of the rain on the old roof.”
Mr & Mrs Bailey-Webb, Warsash
“What a difference a day makes as the saying goes, and yes, that’s all it took to install.”
Mr & Mrs Barber, Wells
For more information, visit quooker.co.uk/save-water
1
Using a l -flow showerhead can reduce water usage while showering by up to 50 per cent.
4
The average roof collects enough rain to fill 450 water butts per year. Use it to water your garden or wash your car.
2
Fixing a dripping tap could save enough water to fill a paddling pool every week of the summer.
570 million litres of boiled water are thrown away every day in the UK, so don’t refill the kettle every time.
3
Washing machines can use 50 litres of water per cycle, so wait until you have a full load before using.
6Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth saves around 6 litres of water per minute.
Use our calculator to find out your water footprint granddesignsmagazine.com/save-water
All the details you’ll need before your trip to Grand Designs Live at the Birmingham NEC
● 10am – 5pm every day
Grand Designs Live takes place in Hall 5 of the Birmingham NEC Rail The closest station, just a short walk away, is Birmingham International Road Use the postcode B40 1NT. Once you arrive at the NEC complex, follow the sign for Grand Designs Live. Prebook your car-parking space on the NEC website (thenec.co.uk)
For information about the venue, including disabled access, cloakrooms, and food and drink, visit the NEC website
To take advantage of this special offer, visit the Grand Designs Live website (granddesignslive. com) and click on the ticket info tab. Enter the code GDM11 at checkout to secure your tickets for just £11 each. This is a saving of up to £9*
T&Cs Offer is for a standard ticket to Grand Designs Live Birmingham 2022 and must be booked before midnight on 8 October. A transaction fee applies per order. Children aged 15 and under go free. *This saving is based on a weekend ticket, bought at the show
Steel-framed windows, glazed doors and indoor screens have a retro appeal that’s a major interiors trend.
Crittall has lots of design options to choose from. Create an eye-catching feature with an arched door, maximise views with panoramic-style windows, or get the latest look with floor-to-ceiling glazing or a picture window.
If you want to go for something more classical, consider a lancet-shape window, oriel bay and bow windows, or even bullseye glass panes and rondels. Alternatively, why not capture the essence of the 1920s with Art Decostyle portholes? You can even choose oval or diamond shapes for impact.
Interior steel-framed screens can be set with panes in different sizes and colours or clear, opaque or textured glass. Or you could include a brightly coloured glass motif such as a flower.
Seeking advice from Crittall Windows will help you make the right choice. The company has been a pioneer of steel-frame windows, doors and screens for nearly 180 years. It offers 46 standard colours, plus custom-made and dual-colour options, and its products are available in any RAL or BS colour.
‘Crittall’s legacy of influencing design and its reputation for delivering excellence can be seen worldwide,’ says managing director Russell Ager. ‘The brand has its imitators, but the style and quality of authentic Crittall products are never matched. They’re tailor-made to meet almost any individual requirement and are designed to last a lifetime.’
Crittall’s unique blend of precision machining and handcrafted finishing across all its bespoke products ensures style, elegance and value, whether your project is a new-build or a renovation.
TOP This floor-to-ceiling steel-frame glazing includes two sets of French doors that open to create a 3m-wide entrance to the patio ABOVE A bespoke screen with sliding doors features a series of coloured glass panes in this period property
● For more information, visit crittall-windows.co.uk or call 01376 530800
We are a collective of creative designers producing distinctive, functional architecture with a commitment to sustainability. We have the expertise and skills to take your project from conception to completion with a reputation of quality, design excellence and service.
An award winning architecture practice with a reputation for quality, design excellence and customer service. We design bespoke spaces to live, work and play tailored to your dreams.
www.studio11architecture.co.uk
www.studio11architecture.co.uk
Though outline planning permission was in place for a new house on this plot in Billingshurst, West Sussex, the application was made with a revised design to avoid moving a sewer
Make sure you know what to expect from the outset of building your own home
If you have a plot of land or a property that you want to knock down and replace, planning permission will be required before you can begin any work. The planning system is discretionary – there is no fixed set of rules that determines
whether consent will be granted or refused. But it can be useful to look at what has been built in the local area as a guide to what might be acceptable on your chosen site.
‘As part of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, local
The planning system is discretionary –there is no fixed set of rules that determines whether consent will be granted or refused
authorities are required to help find land for those who have an interest in building their own homes,’ says Jennifer Smith, director of Smith Jenkins (smithjenkins.co.uk).
‘It gives greater weight to the requirement to identify
The new LOOP aquarium
visit www.biorb.com
Your biOrb LOOPwon’t just lift your spirits day after day.Anyone who sees it will be left open-mouthed with wonder. There is quite simply nothing else like it. With their minimalist design, every biOrb has bags of style.
And the astonishing clarity of the acrylic is why many describe looking at a biOrb as “watching fish in high definition.”
Just picture your guests’reaction each and every time they see yours.
At last! The easier way to own a stunning aquarium
There’s no point having a spectacular aquarium if it’s a time sapping nuisance to maintain.
Here, once again, biOrb’s ‘functional beauty’ comes to the rescue.Allowing you to keep your fish with the minimum of work.
Firstly, everything you need comes in the box. Simply plug it in and switch it on. Like magic, your biOrb aquarium replicates your fishes’ natural environment.
It’s easier for you to care for them too. Because nature does more of the work.
Depending on your choice of species, you may only need around 15 minutes of maintenance per month.
Hannover’s University of Veterinary Medicine tested this system in one of their labs. Over three months they found biOrb tanks performed well in all categories –including optics, oxygenation, fish behaviour and filtration.
Why not join over a million people who are experiencing the joy of biOrb today?
Visit biorb.com
Available in 15 and 30 litre options, black or white and with remote control multi-coloured lighting.
self-build plots in the local area. Councils are required to maintain a self-build register for those who wish to build their own homes. The details should be available on your local council’s website.’
Before a planning application is submitted some crucial work must take place. This involves assessing the site, local policies, the plot history and any constraints, and obtaining technical reports, if needed, before embarking on a design.
Your local council’s website is a good starting point for some of this prep work. Use it to research the history
of the site and to find out whether there are any current or lapsed applications. It should also show local maps and policy documents, which will detail whether the site is in a settlement, greenbelt or conservation area. Some councils’ websites are better than others, and information such as tree preservation orders may have to be sought in writing or via a telephone call.
Designing a house isn’t just about how many rooms you want, you also need to think about the context of the plot, as a building that is sympathetic to the surrounding area is more likely to gain permission. Consider the street setting and whether the property will be visible from the road. It’s also important to make sure that the house fits in with the scale of its neighbours. It’s easier to retain existing trees on a site than to plant new ones, and this should be a consideration in assessing where you might want to put a new building on your plot.
Planning legislation affects the possible size, orientation, shape and even the materials you use to construct your
home. Restrictions are greater if you’re in a conservation area or close to a listed building. This is where the local council’s development plan and its other planning guidance will give you an idea of what is likely to be allowed. Some councils provide residential design guides, which may assist you.
It is a good idea to arrange a meeting with the planning office to discuss your ideas.
They will let you know if there are any concerns about whether the project conforms to the legislation. This could save time, as you won’t waste hours on what could be deemed an inappropriate scheme.
Another way to help things run smoothly is to liaise with your
Initially pushing for a new-build that nestled inconspicuously into the landscape, the local authority eventually granted permission for this Paragraph 55 home of exceptional quality to be built in Huxham, Devon
‘Councils are required to maintain a self-build register for those who wish to build their own homes’
If you think modern steel-frame buildings have to be square boxes, think again. Using steel doesn’t limit the shape, layout or character of a new-build home – and it may save money and construction time.
The frame can be erected quickly on site and teamed with highly insulated composite panels, making the structure weatherproof faster than with traditional masonry. The insulated panels contribute to a highly energy-efficient building and, when used alongside heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) temperature and climate control, substantially limit the home’s carbon footprint and energy consumption over its lifespan. Plus, during the construction, different trades can work together inside while the cladding is being added outside.
As well as cost-effectiveness, there are other benefits to building with a steel frame. You could have a big open-plan living space without the need for masonry supports or subdividing the area. This allows the space to be readily adaptable, which can be particularly useful as your requirements change over time.
ArchiWildish creates substantial bespoke houses that are economical and energy-efficient. All its projects are designed using the latest 3D modelling software. This provides you and your local authority with an informative visual presentation of the design, helping identify potential planning and construction issues quickly and efficiently.
Visit stand B917 of Grand Designs Live at the Birmingham NEC from 5-9 October to see for yourself.
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neighbours, as local support could boost your application’s chance of success.
Pre-application is paperwork submitted to the local council before a planning application and it provides a limited amount of information compared a full planning application. This is a good way to obtain an initial view as to what you may or may not be allowed to build. It can flag up problems and reduce the risk of your application being rejected, potentially saving you time and money.
The planning process, from the point at which an application
is submitted, is broadly similar wherever you live in the UK, with details first checked against national and local requirements to make sure they contain the necessary information. Simple errors, including not having a scale or north point on the plan, may invalidate an application.
Not preparing detailed reports such as ecology surveys cuts costs, but it could cause delays as such information is
usually required, especially with rural or undeveloped sites. Councils should have a list of validation requirements on their websites. Use them to check what you need to submit when making your formal application.
It could take eight weeks or more for the council to make a decision on a planning application after it has been validated. In some instances an application may be called before a planning committee, which will be held in public.
A presentation will be made and any objections heard before the members vote on whether or not to grant permission. If refused,
an appeal can be made within a certain timeframe to the planning inspectorate.
A relatively straightforward ways to self-build is to buy a site with planning consent already in place. If the approval is still current, permission should be achievable within the context of the original plans.
You won’t necessarily need to submit a new application if you want to make minor changes to an approved plan, but any big changes will require a new application. Should you be aiming to create a distinctive home or if the application has lapsed, this may not be quite so simple.
JEFFERSON SMITH, MARK BOLTON
Pre-application is a good way to obtain an initial view as to what you may or may not be allowed to buildA cemetery lodge in Fulham, west London, had planning permission for conversion into a house before Grand Designer Justin Maxwell Stuart bought it
WORDS EMILY BROOKS
Old workshops, factories, mills and forges have great potential for conversion into one-off homes. They often include coveted design elements such as big open spaces, exposed brick, stone and hefty steel beams, and quirky architectural details. But there may be drawbacks too. Making these structures conform to Building Regulations can be expensive, and there’s the possibility of onsite contamination from the industrial past, so careful assessment and management is needed. Permission for change of use will also be required – although you don’t need to own a building before applying.
1INTERIOR REMODELLED Trevolt is a converted electricity substation tower on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall. It belongs to Morveth Ward, an action vehicle scout for film and TV, and his wife Abi, an interior designer. Architect Jacob Down tackled the conversion, taking the original 55sqm, two-storey tower and extending it to 137sqm and three storeys, for a total project cost of £350,000.
Built in 1910 to supply power to local towns and mining sites, the tower was derelict when the couple, both in their thirties, took it on. Inside, the reinforced concrete floor separating the two storeys was taken out and replaced with a new three-storey structure, while a two-storey extension connects to the house by a glass link. Elements of the past remain – the original water tank is now a wood-powered outdoor hot tub. (jacobdown.co.uk)
DURABLE REBUILD Windmills are a common feature of the Polish countryside, but few have been converted into homes as stylish as this. When architecture practice 04 Architekci and architect Michał Kucharski took the project on, daylight glinted through the timbers of the mill. Its structure was more or less rebuilt, with reinforced concrete walls and floors on the ground floor, and four new concrete pillars supporting the upper floors.
The exterior is clad in reclaimed and new timber that has been charred to give it an aged effect.
Built for a family of five, the 148sqm house has three storeys, a mezzanine level, and a new basement with garage. Above the ground-floor living space there are three bedrooms on the next two levels and a mezzanine workspace with fantastic views. In the garden reclaimed railway sleepers have been made into fenceposts, echoing the time-worn appearance of the mill. (o4architekci.pl)
3WITH A NEW LEVEL One part of a former woollen mill in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, which was most recently used as an office with an area for staff to relax, has become a two-bedroom apartment.
Luke Hilton, who works in forestry and owns a hot yoga studio on the ground floor, asked practice Orange Design Studio (orangedesignstudio. co.uk) to work on the project. The company built a timber-frame first floor on top of the single-storey yoga studio lobby to create a bedroom for Luke and increase the size of the apartment to 106sqm.
The new extension includes a standing seam zinc roof and is clad in charred oak to contrast with the building’s refurbished ashlar stone. Inside, the generous open-plan living space has been divided with freestanding joinery, designed to interfere with the fabric of the building as little as possible.
(orangedesignstudio.co.uk)
Architect Klas Hyllén and his wife Ruth, an art therapist, converted a Grade II listed wine warehouse into a four-bedroom home in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. The couple, both 40, have two children aged five and three.
The building is arranged around a new birch plywoodclad staircase built in a triple-height void. Original stone walls and structural steels are teamed with new materials such as galvanised steel and white stained Douglas fir.
Klas and Ruth remodelled the back of the building, which includes a double-height opening to the courtyard garden. The stone removed during its installation was used to build the garden walls – part of a wider strategy to recycle as many materials as possible – and the project only produced six skips’ worth of waste.
The 180sqm building cost around £400,000 to convert over four years, with the first phase completed in 2019. In the future the couple plan to turn the 110sqm basement into more living space, a gym, sauna and storage. (klashyllen.com)
Anna and Eugeni Bach were behind the renovation and extension of this former chocolate factory in a small town in the Empordà region of north-eastern Spain. The three-storey, 550sqm space is now an impressive home to the couple’s clients – a businessman and a cook.
The 19th-century building’s appeal lay in its beautiful stone walls, traditional arched-brick Catalan vaulted ceilings on the ground floor and aged wooden beams, all of which have been restored. The owners have eight adult children who visit often, so the spaces needed to be adaptable.
The main bedroom is on the second floor, and a series of small rooms on the first floor can be used as extra bedrooms or as spaces for hobbies such as painting. There’s also a bedroom in the adjacent annexe. A single-storey extension creates an L-shaped layout on the ground floor and includes the kitchen and dining area. It has a roof terrace reached by a new outdoor staircase. (annaeugenibach.com)
American architect Chester Wisniewski created his very own boat-building workshop on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA. When he died in 2015, his three sons decided to turn it into a holiday home for their families to share. The brothers asked architect Erin Pellegrino of Studio Matter to convert the building – something of a challenge because Chester had used some experimental building techniques.
The timber roof structure was inspired by a Shinto shrine and needed to be fully understood before any major renovation could go ahead.
Erin took care to retain the spirit of the workshop by repurposing machinery – the old table saw is now the kitchen island and a bandsaw is a bar –and using simple materials such as the exposed plywood cladding for the new walls and ceilings. The house has four bedrooms, including one in the mezzanine sleeping loft. The project cost around £1,735 per sqm. (studio-matter.com)
This three-bedroom house in Lancaster Gate, central London, was converted from an industrial unit by Neil Dusheiko Architects for Soren Ellemann. Soren, who is retired, has owned the building since the early 1980s – the showroom for his fashion business used to be on the ground floor. In 2017 he and his wife Jean decided to turn the building into their home and, although Jean has since passed away, Soren carried on with the project, completing it in 2020. Permission for change of use was sought and granted without issue.
Denmark-born Soren loves his native country’s design, asking the practice to bring Danish elements into the traditional mews house. As is common with this type of property, the windows are all at the front, leading to a lack of natural light, so a big skylight was fitted above a new Douglas firclad staircase, which has open treads. Soren’s home also includes a lift, small kitchen and bedroom, currently used as a study, on the ground floor. The 180sqm house cost £4,200 per sqm to convert. (neildusheiko.com)
8BROKEN-PLAN LAYOUT This 227sqm, threebedroom apartment in Madrid, Spain, is home to architects Ophélie Herranz and Paul Galindo of the practice Nomos and their three children. Formerly a printworks, the space they bought was 34m long and 10m wide, with internal structural pillars arranged in a grid every 5m.
The practice broke up the space ingeniously, adding brick partitions at a 45-degree angle to the outer walls, which zigzag through the apartment, allowing light through from one space to the next. The bricks, in glazed white and cobalt blue, and natural terracotta, are decorative and functional, creating geometric patterns on the side of the bath and built-in shelving.
Ophélie and Paul kept the yellow-painted metal window frames that run the length of the exterior, creating a winter garden between the windows and the rest of the apartment that acts as a thermal buffer, helping to reduce overheating and cooling. (nomos.archi)
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ORIGINAL FEATURES Elizabeth Sinclair commissioned architecture practice McLaren Excell to convert a Wiltshire water mill. The building in Ashbury is Grade II listed, and has its Victorian machinery and water wheel still intact. As the machinery took up so much space, an extension was needed to turn the mill into a 125sqm, two-bedroom home. Built against a bank of earth and in a poor state of repair, the walls had become saturated with water. To fix the problem, a waterproof membrane system was installed to the inside face of the walls and teamed with concealed drainage
Other than this remedial work, the architects’ plan was to intervene as little as possible with the structure. New elements such as the kitchen and staircase are made from crisply angled raw plate steel, which contrasts with the ancient timber beams and irregular stonework. The water wheel can be seen through floor-to-ceiling glass in one of the bedrooms. The project cost £375,000. (mclarenexcell.com)
A former blacksmith’s forge in Whixall, Shropshire, is home to Philip, 37, and Elly, 35, Handley, and their two-year-old son Finn. Architectural designer Philip took on the project himself and, despite the Grade II listed building being practically derelict when they bought it, completed it on a modest budget of £85,000.
Philip designed two side-by-side, timberframed extensions – one includes the couple’s bedroom and the other a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen-diner leading onto a courtyard garden. Dark corrugated metal was chosen to clad the extensions as a nod to the building’s past and to create a contrast with the brickwork, which was repointed. The forge has a new roof, concrete floor and insulation, plus the 99sqm house also includes a study that can double as a guest room. (studiobloc.co.uk)
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There are several methods to choose from when building with timber, from traditional pegged oak frames to modern modular systems. Building with timber locks up tonnes of carbon in the structure for the lifetime of the home, reducing the carbon footprint of the project. But despite this, there are sustainability issues to be aware of.
‘Slow-grown mountain or northern softwood is in heavy demand,’ says Justin Bere, director at Bere Architects (bere.co.uk). ‘Over the past few years, even before the invasion of Ukraine, the price of European wood tripled, and this has since worsened due to huge demand from the US and China.’ Always double-check the timber for your project is sourced sustainably, and ask your supplier to see evidence of the supply chain for extra reassurance.
ABOVE AND RIGHT Architectural practice BakerBown renovated this two-bedroom home in Lewes, East Sussex. The single-storey masonry house was extended with a timber-frame building, which was infilled with wood-fibre insulation between and over the studs of the walls. The roof and floors were insulated with rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) board. The extension cost around £3,000 per sqm. (bakerbrown.studio)
WORDS REBECCA FOSTER
Firms specialising in building timber homes, such as Baufritz (baufritz.com) or Border Oak (borderoak.com), may be able to take care of both the design and construction of your home, as many have an in-house design team. Or you could commission an architect to devise the design – look for a practice with experience in timber buildings, and bring the architect and timber specialist together early on so the technical aspects of the design and the build system dovetail.
You can find reputable suppliers through trade associations such as the Structural Timber Association (structuraltimber.co.uk) and the Timber Research and Development Association (trada.co.uk).
A three-bedroom Victorian house in Barnet, north London, was extended by Amos Goldreich Architecture. A structural timber post-and-beam frame forms the roof of the extension. Built on site, it took four weeks to construct. Inside, limewashed timber joinery creates shelving and a room divider. A similar project would cost around £250,000. (agarchitecture.net)
All the normal rules apply with regards to obtaining planning permission for your project. ‘The planning process considers a building’s design and impact on the area – it’s not as interested in the construction,’ says Adam Knibb, director at Adam Knibb Architects (adamknibbarchitects.com). A new-build home will need consent, as may an extension. Visit the Planning Portal for more information and consult with your local authority (planningportal.co.uk).
A timber-built house or extension must meet the performance requirements laid out by Building Regulations. Part B covers fire-safety standards, an issue which may be of specific concern when building with wood. There are measures, including fire-resistant components, sprinkler systems and a floorplan providing easy escape routes, that can be taken to meet and exceed the requirements. ‘Fortunately, a new-build can be designed from the bottom up to include fire safety,’ says Oliver Rehm, CEO of Baufritz UK.
Building with timber locks up tonnes of carbon in the structure for the lifetime of the home
Lenders in the UK regard timber buildings as a nonstandard form of construction, therefore fewer are willing to provide funding. Start by taking advice from self-build mortgage brokers, such as BuildStore (buildstore.co.uk) or Mary Riley Solutions (maryrileysolutions.co.uk), which will have access to specialist products. ‘Most lenders require you to have a structural warranty in place before they lend,’ says Simon Orrells, managing director at Frame Technologies (frametechnologies.co.uk). ‘This insurance policy covers the cost of rectifying defects in a self-build. It’s not compulsory, but if you want to sell your home within ten years, you might have problems without one.’
These are softwood frames covered with wood-composite panels, usually plywood or oriented strand board (OSB), with a waterproof membrane on the outer surface. On site, the insides of the panels remain open until the structure is built and made weathertight. After this, the insulation and services are fitted, as well as windows and doors, before the panels are sealed with plasterboard. A weathertight structure can be in place in a week or two. Accuracy is required so the walls slot into place, and there’s no room for error when laying the foundations. As the frames are manufactured off site, it’s tricky to make design modifications once they’re made. Although they offer good thermal performance, it’s not to the same level as closed panels, where insulation is installed under factory-controlled conditions. A one or two-bedroom house with a simple design could be completed for upwards of £80,000, with a lifespan of up to 100 years.
ABOVE AND BELOW A timber frame was chosen for this two-storey extension to a 500-yearold Grade II listed cottage in Winchester, Hampshire, by Paul Cashin Architects. The frame components were easier than other build options to deliver to the hard-to-access site. Mineral wool insulation was installed on site between the vertical posts, with 50mm of PIR boards fitted over the frame. Clay tiles clad the exterior. A similar project would cost around £3,250 per sqm. (paulcashinarchitects.co.uk)
Sustainability drove Orange Architects’ (orangearchitects.nl) design for a one-bedroom house on the island of Texel in the Netherlands. A prefabricated timber frame was assembled by contractor Cor Koper Bouwbedrijf (corkoper.nl) in its workshop on the mainland, then dismantled and delivered to the island for reassembly. A similar project would cost from around £2,110 to £2,960 per sqm
Although similar in structure to open-panel, closedpanel frames arrive on site from the factory with everything already integrated. ‘A vapour barrier is provided on the inner face of the insulation and a breather membrane on the outer face of the panel,’ says Simon Orrells. ‘They can also include fitted windows and interior service zone battens.’
Quick to build with, closed-panel frames deliver a high level of thermal performance and airtightness. And having doors and windows pre-installed further speeds things up. Sustainability is a priority for many suppliers. ‘Baufritz supports national and European reforestation programmes and operates a closed-loop manufacturing process where our waste is reused during the construction process,’ says Oliver Rehm.
As a rough guide, you can expect to spend between £325 and £350 per sqm of floor area for the panels, which last more than 100 years.
SIPs typically consist of a layer of rigid, plastic-based insulation sandwiched between two wood-composite sheets. Engineered in a factory, once on site they can be slotted into place to form floors, walls and the roof in as little as two weeks.
The high level of prefabrication allows for a predetermined level of airtightness and thermal performance. Design-wise, the slim profile of SIPs provides a proportionally bigger floor area inside the building and their strength negates the need for roof trusses, which allows for lofty vaulted ceilings and double-height spaces.
SIPs tend to be more expensive than other timber-frame systems, costing as much as £500 per sqm, depending on the complexity of your design and the supplier. Although, as they are lightweight, they require simpler and less costly foundations.
Made by gluing several sheets of timber together in perpendicular layers, CLT is compressed so that it’s dimensionally stable. Perhaps because the suppliers are based in Europe, CLT is not a mainstream option in the UK and the carbon cost of transporting the material will impact the project’s carbon footprint. Its price is on a par with SIPs, but this can be offset by leaving the interior walls exposed. ‘CLT may look expensive on paper, but once the speed of construction and the reduction of trades is factored in, it becomes less so,’ says architect Adam Knibb. ‘Depending on the size of the project, homes built with CLT can be erected in one to three weeks.’
RIGHT Glosford SIPs (glosfordsips.co.uk) worked with Warren Benbow Architects (warrenbenbow.com) to design this four-bedroom house on the border of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, before the components were made in the company’s factory. The project cost £950,000
ABOVE AND LEFT Overlooking Loch Nedd, Scotland, this two-bedroom home was built with CLT. Carbon Dynamic (carbondynamic.com), which specialises in off-site modular construction, provided the structural elements. Designed by Mary Arnold Foster (maryarnold-forster.co.uk), it cost around £325,000
Oak is a tried-and-tested building material, having been used to construct homes in the UK for centuries. Most oak-framed buildings are of post-and-beam construction, comprising substantial vertical posts supporting horizontal beams. The spaces between them are filled with a system such as SIPs, which includes the insulating material, to create an airtight shell.
The structure is built in around a week or two, depending on the complexity of the design, and the material has good eco credentials. ‘Oak frame has low embodied energy, with minimal processing and no additives, and stores more carbon than other timbers,’ says Merry Albright, creative director at Border Oak (borderoak.com). ‘An oak frame looks good, so you don’t need to add lots of decorative finishes, and has unrivalled longevity of up to 1,000 years.’
Oak is a premium material, so total build costs are likely to be between £1,750 and £2,000 per sqm. A complex design that requires curved timbers, or one with lots of exposed oak, will drive costs up.
THIS PICTURE AND BELOW The damaged timber structure of this four-bedroom barn conversion in Herefordshire was dismantled and taken to the Border Oak workshop, where replica sections of oak were spliced into the original frame. A similar new-build would cost around £2,500 per sqm. (borderoak.com)
lies within Land Title number YEA455978, benefits from mainly flat terrain, is in the curtilage of a Listed Building, contains one Public Right of Way, and is 34m from the perimeter of a Flood Zone.
With layer after layer of insights, the Grand Designs Magazine Land Finder makes it easy to find and research any plot.
Find your plot with Land Finder.
Limit the heat lost from your home in the winter and reduce the risk of overheating in the summer with well-installed insulation made with the most effective material for your property.
Because heat rises, it makes sense to insulate the attic to prevent warmth leaking through the roof. ‘The best-value retrofit insulation is in the loft,’ says Dr Sarah Price, technical director at Qoda Consulting (qodaconsulting.com). ‘An attic floor covered to at least 30cm depth gives the greatest energy saving per pound of spend.’
Laying rolls of mineral or sheep’s wool is something you could tackle yourself. Avoid covering air vents, grilles and bricks, and if
there is no ventilation you may need to fit an airbrick or similar to prevent a rise in humidity. Any pipework and water tanks should be insulated too. Cellulose fibre can be used to fill the nooks and crannies between the joists and the blanket of insulation – this loose-fill material is blown into place. A semi-rigid batt, such as hemp slab, is also suitable for DIY installation. Rigid foam insulating board or hemp slab are ideal for insulating the sloping roof of an attic that has been converted into living space.
‘Budget from £1,200,’ says Nigel Donohue, CEO of the Insulation Assurance Authority (theiaa.co.uk). ‘The cost will depend on the size of your home, the existing insulation and any remedial work required.’
MAGAZINE.COM/ OCTOBER 2022 121 PROJECTS BUYER’S GUIDE Bradley Van Der Straeten (b-vds.co.uk) designed a loft extension for a three-bedroom house in Stoke Newington, north London. Kingspan Optim-R 50mm vacuum insulation panels line the roof with Kingspan Thermataper fixed on top (kingspan.com). The project cost £110,000
Materials and methods, from external, internal and cavity wall to floor and loft
Insulation
ABOVE AND BELOW This extension to a six-bedroom Victorian villa in Cambridge includes cavity wall and roof insulation. Its walls are filled with Rockwool Full Fill Cavity Batts. The roof is lined with Rockwool Hardrock Multi-Fix (DD) roofing boards to a depth of 235mm thick (rockwool.com). The entire project, by CDC Studio (cdcstudio.co.uk), cost around £4,000 per sqm
Most masonry homes built after the 1920s are likely to have cavity walls with an inner layer of blockwork and an outer layer of brick separated by an airspace. This gap can be filled with cavity wall insulation (CWI). Commonly, holes are drilled into the brickwork, giving access to the cavity, and the insulating material is blown or pumped in through the holes. Mineral
wool, polystyrene beads – which are blown in through a long nozzle so even the corners are reached – and polyurethane foam are all CWI options. Mineral wool and hemp slabs or rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) boards are suitable for timber-frame new home projects, with the boards available in several different thicknesses depending on the level of thermal performance required.
Before committing to retrofitting CWI, have an installer use a small camera on a long, flexible mount, called a borescope, to inspect the airspaces and assess their condition. Any debris or material in the cavity will need to be removed before installation. Plus, any damp, cracked render or damaged brickwork must be addressed so that the CWI performs as it should. CWI products are priced per sqm, with expanding foam at the higher end of the price scale at around £30 per sqm. ‘Set aside between £1,200 and £2,400 for the entire property,’ says Nigel Donohue. Many installers include the cost of an initial survey in the final fee, but check before going ahead.
External wall insulation (EWI) is an option for homes with solid walls. Material choices include mineral wool that’s been compressed into a semi-rigid batt, or wood-fibre board, cork panel and various thermal render systems. Research the advantages of each and select the one that best complements your home and meets your budget and performance requirements.
‘Wood fibre is sustainable and breathable, but it normally offers a slightly lower performance for a comparable thickness and may be more expensive than other options,’ explains Camilla Govan, business development manager at Green Building Store (greenbuildingstore.co.uk).
Planning EWI installation in advance and getting an experienced professional to carry out the work is advisable. ‘By adding a depth of new material to its exterior surface, the wall will extend further forward, which can cause problems where it meets the roof,’ says Camilla. It’s also important to ensure all joins around pipework and cables, rainwater drainage and boiler outlets are airtight.
Budget between £10,000 and £16,000 for a wholehouse project, advises Nigel, though the total cost will also be dependent on the material chosen and the complexity of the installation.
The exterior of this four-bedroom house in Essex was upgraded to improve its thermal performance. A thermal render system from Weber (uk.weber) was applied to the brick walls and new double-glazed windows fitted. The exterior and interior remodelling was designed by Gregory Phillips Architects at a cost of around £5,000 per sqm (gregoryphillips.com)
Practice Mitchell + Corti extended and remodelled a four-bedroom Victorian house in Queen’s Park, north London, adding Pavatex Isolair wood-fibre board to the interior walls (pavatex. com). The insulation for the entire project cost from £16,000-£20,000. (mitchellandcorti.com)
Homes with solid stone or brick walls are candidates for internal wall insulation (IWI). It’s also useful for properties where the exterior walls can’t be covered due to design or planning constraints. The insulating material is applied to the inner face of the exterior walls. Rigid foam board, wood-fibre board, semi-rigid batt and cork panel are some of the suitable options.
‘Wood fibre is breathable and moisture buffering – it absorbs moisture when wet and evaporates water when it’s drier inside,’ says Dr Sarah Price. Insulating plaster, made from cork, clay and diatomaceous earth, is another eco-friendly choice.
As with other insulating methods, steps must be taken to avoid IWI thermal bridging, such as between the junctions with internal partitions and the floor, as well as to ensure breathability. ‘If warm air gets behind vapour-impermeable materials such as rigid PIR board or polyurethane foam, the moisture level may build up and cause mould to grow where you can’t see it,’ Sarah explains.
Inevitably, some interior space will be lost and the work can be disruptive so you may have to temporarily move out. Expect to pay from £4,000 to £7,000 for the entire house.
Heat escapes through gaps in floorboards, around skirting boards and pipework. How to fix the problem depends on whether you have a suspended floor or a solid one, and how much work you can put up with.
‘Are you prepared to dig down into the solid surface to add insulation, or lay it on top and raise the floor level?’ asks Camilla Govan. ‘Digging out a floor is expensive, whereas adding insulation on top is cheaper and less disruptive.’ Rigid foam board is easy to cut, shape and fit on top of a solid floor, as are multi-foil systems, comprising layers of foil and wadding.
Suspended timber floor choices include mineral wool semi-rigid batt, which is easy to cut to size, fibreglass blanket or loose-fill recycled cellulose. But if any of these options are not installed correctly, there’s a risk of the joist ends rotting at the junction with the external walls.
The cost of installation ranges from £500 up to £1,300, depending on the material chosen and the floor area to be covered. Insulating suspended floors costs around £105 per sqm, including supply and installation. Solid floors come in slightly lower, at around £80 per sqm.
ABOVE To boost the thermal performance of this five-bedroom home in Notting Hill, London, Kingspan Thermafloor TF70 PIR 50mm rigid board insulation (kingspan.com) was installed on top of the floors at lower-ground floor level. On the top floor, 100mm Celotex GA400 rigid boards (insulation-uk.com) were installed between the roof rafters, with 65mm PL4000 insulated plasterboard beneath. The renovation, by Brosh Architects (brosharchitects.com), cost around £500,000
Replacing single-glazed windows and doors with double- or triple-glazed versions will reduce heat loss. Often, more heat is lost through gaps around the frames than the glass, which is why windows and doors should be professionally fitted within the insulation layer. If you can’t replace them, repair the frames, fit new seals or insulate the reveals to improve performance.
LEFT A 1980s three-bedroom house in Rotherhithe, south-east London, was refurbished by MW Architects (mwarchitects.co.uk) in order to improve the layout. Double-glazed Crittall W20 steel-framed windows and doors face the garden (crittall-windows.co.uk). Replacing all the windows and doors cost around £40,000. A similar project would cost £2,500 per sqm
A quality oven and hob or cooker ensures a great result, no matter what meal you’re preparing. Smeg produces everything from built-in ovens to coffee machines, all with impeccable Italian styling.
The revolutionary Galileo collection includes the Dolce Stil Novo Omnichef SO6606APNR, which combines a traditional oven with steam and microwave functions that can be used either separately or all at once. This saves on space and offers great convenience, as the combined technology can cook a chicken to perfection in just 30 minutes.
With products to suit all needs, Smeg also offers the SO6302M2X, which combines an oven with a microwave, this time in classic stainless steel. The SpeedwaveXL range cooks with microwaves in a gradual, consistent way, and the Stirrer technology evenly
distributes the microwaves, so there’s no need for a turntable.
To create a real focal point in the heart of your kitchen, the Portofino CPF120IGMPT range cooker includes an induction hob, three gas burners and an electric teppanyaki plate for grilling. Beneath the hob are two multifunction ovens with steam technology and pyrolytic cleaning.
A flexible and energy-efficient hob, the HOBD682D1 induction model has a powerful but quiet integrated extractor, ideal for an open-plan kitchen. The 80cm hob includes a MultiZone feature that operates as two independent cooking areas or can combine into one.
All Smeg appliances are robustly built and tested to ensure great quality. You can explore the full range online, or visit one of the showrooms in London or Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
● For more information, visit smeguk.com
TOP Side-by-side style from the Dolce Stil Novo Omnichef SO6606APNR, £3,399, and Combi SF4604PMCNR, £2,659
ABOVE The Portofino features handy storage compartments under each of its two ovens. Portofino CPF120IGMPT, £7,559
A stylish, easy-clean idea for the bathroom wall. Shell Marble high-pressure laminate panels, from £221.88 per 2,440x900mm panel, Showerwall (showerwall.co.uk). Turn to P142 for more
Buster + Punch’s robust Girder and Hanger shelves take their design cues from the I-beams and struts used in construction. Made from powder-coated aluminium in black or stone, each includes a guard rail in a choice of brass, gunmetal or steel. The Hanger shelf also comes with a solid metal pan rail. The L1,150xD234xH295mm Girder costs £550 and the L1,150xD234xH370mm Hanger, £650. (busterandpunch.com)
The mid-century inspired Butter chair from furniture retailer Loaf is made from solid oak in a light weathered finish and features a handwoven cord seat. Measuring W490xD480x H780mm, the chair has a seat height of 450mm and costs £540 for a pair. (loaf.com)
This Honeycomb induction hob from Küppersbusch has five frameless black 320x320mmm hexagonal plates that can be fitted in different configurations. As well as four cooking zones and 11 power levels, it features touch control, pan detection, keep warm and boost functions. There is also a child lock and various safety modes. K-Series 8 Ekwi 3740.0S, £2,310. (kuppersbusch.com)
Based in East Sussex, Inglis Hall designs, hand-builds and installs bespoke kitchens and freestanding furniture. The company uses sustainable and locally sourced materials wherever possible. Each design is unique, including these 19mm oak-veneered lacquered birch ply cabinets with raw and blackened band-sawn fronts, quartz worksurfaces and engineered brass details. From £40,000. (inglishall.com)
Keeping utensils close to where you use them the most makes preparing meals easier, quicker and more pleasurable. This innovative extractor comes with optional integrated storage compartments.
Monolith black glass and matt black aluminium extractor, W903xD172xH142mm, £2,000, accessory storage modules in three lengths, from £450 for the W300xD172xH142mm version, Falmec (falmec.co.uk)
WORDS PAULA WOODSThere’s always room to improve your storage set-up with easy-to-fit and cost-effective retrofit shelves, or drawer and cupboard organisers. Yamazaki Tosca under-shelf, multifunctional steel and wood rack, W335xD290xH160mm, £48, Amara (amara.com)
This type of pan drawer combination maximises space by including a shallow pullout above a deeper version. It’s one way to organise kitchenware by use, such as having everything in one place for baking, pasta-making or roasting.
Spenlow kitchen in Tailored Grey and American Walnut with pot cupboard, from £80,000, Humphrey Munson (humphreymunson.co.uk)
Deep pan drawers are an efficient way to store saucepans. Check the load capacity for what you want it to hold, and that it extends fully for a complete view of the contents.
Ligna Mayfield oak-effect kitchen with Legrabox R Design pan drawers in nine widths, internal dividers and weight capacity of up to 70kg, from £15,000, Masterclass Kitchens (masterclasskitchens.co.uk)
Clever engineering can improve the ergonomics of a corner cabinet. Opening the door to this unit brings the front shelves out while those behind move forward. Kesseböhmer Magic Corner unit in chrome, £425, kitchens from £14,000, Second Nature (sncollection.co.uk)
Get more room for food prep with this design, which turns a second sink into a drainer with storage for knives and chopping boards. After use, utensils dry out of sight on a hidden wire rack. Box Center stainless steel inset, flush or undermount compartment bowl and accessory set, 300x510mm, £883, Pescara pulldown XL tap, £614, Franke (franke.co.uk)
Investing in a bespoke or custom-made kitchen ensures your specific storage needs are delivered. A designer will assess how you want to use the space, take an inventory of all your kitchenware and devise storage that’s tailer-made to suit. Luna kitchen in walnut finish with customised 1,800mm-wide drawer and internal storage, from £12,000, Rational (rational.de/en)
Avoid rummaging in the back of cupboards for pots and pans by keeping them on open shelves. It’s time-efficient, and useful pieces collected over the years will look great on display.
Henley oak kitchen, from £17,000, Carter Island in metal and oak, L1,600xW850xH900mm, £3,450, Neptune (neptune.com)
Storing knives requires some care. A knife block clutters up the worksurface and magnetic wall strips leave everything on display. This option keeps them nearby, but hidden behind a drop-down door.
B3 glass-fronted countertop function boxes, W600xD120xH630mm, with built-in lighting and optional integrated electrical outlets and mixer tap. B3 kitchen, from £60,000, Bulthaup (bulthaup.com)
Retractable units move up or down with the aid of a motor, and are ideal for those who prefer a minimalist look.
Cabinet-Plus motorised touch-button control drop-down shelving unit for a standard 600mm wall cabinet with knife and utensil frame, from £98, wine and storage frame, from £89. Kitchens, from £2,631 for eight units excluding installation, Magnet (magnet.co.uk)
Make use of the space beneath a base unit by including a plinth drawer. This design incorporates a step that can be extended over the drawer and locked in place, making it easier to reach the top shelf of the wall cabinet above.
Space Step soft-close plinth drawer with anti-slip step, available with Servo Drive for automatic operation, Blum (blum.com)
Keeping all you need for breakfast, such as the coffee machine, kettle and toaster, in a dedicated cupboard on a pullout shelf makes busy mornings go smoother and prevents heat and steam build up in the cabinet. Bespoke kitchen painted in Pavilion Gray by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) with Bianca Massa quartz worksurfaces and breakfast cupboard with pullout small appliance shelf, from £50,000, Davonport (davonport.com)
Create extra storage with tips from Simon Glanville, the managing director of A Place for Everything (aplaceforeverything.co.uk)
● For a traditional country kitchen look, keep pots and pans in the open on a ceiling-mounted pot rack or wall-mounted rails.
● Prevent pan lids getting lost at the back of cupboards by hanging them on the back of cabinet doors using a tiered lid rack. Or stack them vertically in drawers and separate with dividers or tension rods.
● A retro-style trolley on wheels enables you to keep utensils and pans by your side when cooking or prepping ingredients.
● A modular metal shelving and accessories system such as Elfa (elfa.com) can be a useful retrofit solution for a utility room or pantry, especially for pots and pans that you use less often. It can be added to as and when you need.
Bar stools provide accent colour to complement the Infinity Plus Milano Elements kitchen in Metallic Night Matt. From £257 per unit
Toning colours, well-planned storage and a modern design add up to a dream kitchen from Wren
LEFT Jo Iddamalgoda, Reggie and Roxy in her new Wren kitchen
When Jo and John Iddamalgoda bought a rundown 1970s bungalow in Little Plumstead, Norfolk, in May 2021, it had been left empty for a while. But although it needed some attention, the couple were able to move in with their sons Dan, 21, and Jake, 17.
Renovations started straightaway, and the kitchen was taken out. Jo, a midwife, had a really clear idea of what she wanted. ‘I imagined something sleek and modern in a dark matt colour, with handleless cabinets and plenty of storage space,’ she explains.
After taking inspiration from social media and various other kitchen companies they had researched, Jo and John eventually chose Wren to supply their kitchen on a friend’s recommendation. ‘As soon as we walked through the door of the Norwich showroom, we knew we’d found the right company,’ says Jo.
She shared her ideas with their Wren designer, Adam. ‘As much as possible I wanted symmetry,’ she says. ‘I also wanted to include a mirror to give a greater sense of space.’
Jo and Adam created a plan together and found solutions to maximise storage that included deep
drawers and a pullout corner cabinet. The kitchen design they settled on was the Infinity Plus Milano Elements in Metallic Night Matt with copper profiles and a quartz Cement Lux worksurface.
‘Adam came up with so many good ideas that John and I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of on our own, and the 3D renders really helped us visualise the space,’ says Jo.
The couple arranged for the kitchen’s installation to be done by a family friend. ‘Everything arrived on time and fully built, so it all went in very smoothly,’ explains Jo. ‘We ordered a few extra things, but that was really easy to do using the Wren app.’
Now Jo and John couldn’t be happier with their stylish and practical kitchen. ‘We’re a family who likes to have friends and family over as much as possible,’ says Jo. ‘Just the other week we had a surprise birthday party for Dan’s 21st. At one point there were around 40 people in the room and everything worked a treat.’
● Book your free design appointment today at wrenkitchens.com
‘I imagined something sleek and modern in a dark matt colour with handleless cabinets’ABOVE RIGHT A mirrored splashback reflects the Samos 1.5-bowl undermount sink ABOVE The generously sized island features a Neff Flexinduction five-zone hob, a Viceroy undercounter wine cooler and a breakfast bar for casual dining
® Starck f, a new generation shower toilet for state-of-the-art, natural toilet hygiene. Maximum comfort is guaranteed thanks to technical finishing touches such as a motion sensor for automa tic lid opening through to a wide range of setting options for seat heating, water spray and the controllable warm air dryer. Combinable with all Duravit design series thanks to its uncompromisingly puristic design. www.duravit.co.uk
Starck f. Iconic design. Maximum comfort.
This wall-hung vanity unit is made from sustainably sourced solid timber sealed with an anti-UV varnish to prevent discolouration. Available in two widths and two finishes, it can be teamed with built-in or countertop basins. The push-to-open drawer has a softclose mechanism and can be fitted with an optional internal drawer. Limit W700xD450x H450mm vanity unit with Ice White glass basin, £1,590, Crosswater. (crosswater.co.uk)
Philippe Starck’s new tap collection for Duravit combines a conical shape with a slim rectangular spout and handle. In chrome or matt black, the Tulum taps have an integrated aerator for a flow rate of 5 litres per minute. Choose from basin monoblocs in varying heights, a wall-mounted mixer, bath spout, freestanding mixer and shower valve. Tulum 165mm-high, chrome single-lever basin mixer, £148. (duravit.co.uk)
Verona’s Vintage Rhomboid is a diamond-shaped ceramic wall tile with an aged-effect finish and oxidised edge detail for a reclaimed look. It comes in light grey, taupe or white. Each tile measures 152x 263mm, and they cost £62 per sqm. (veronagroup.co.uk)
The Extended Drying Area panel from Acquabella attaches to the company’s Base Slate range of trays to increase the size of a shower floor. It’s made from a slip-resistant composite material with a textured surface and can be teamed with matching wall panels. It comes in white and a choice of 200 RAL colours in various sizes. Extended Drying Area in NCS S 3020-R90B, L100xW100cm, £741,60, Slate wall panel, W100xH200cm, £682,89, tray, L220xW100cm, £1,398,74. (acquabella.com)
Made from stone and resins, stain-resistant quartz composite is suitable for cladding walls or floors and creating countertops – installation involves creating a template for a flawless fit.
Sunlit Days quartz composite in Arcilla Red, from £450 per sqm, Marie sink, from £800, Silestone by Consentino (cosentino.com)
Rectified ceramic or porcelain wall and floor tiles are finished so each tile has precisely the same dimensions with near-perfect straight edges. This means they can be laid much closer together, giving minimal grout lines.
Nature’s Way Wood Slat matt ceramic rectified decor tiles, 1,000x333mm, £34.95 per sqm, Walls and Floors (wallsandfloors.co.uk)
Reclaimed ceramic, encaustic, terracotta and stone tiles bring vintage charm to a scheme. Salvo (salvoweb.com) has a searchable database of reputable salvage yards and specialist suppliers.
Reclaimed handmade encaustic floor tiles, from around £200 per sqm, Maitland & Poate (maitlandandpoate.com)
Engineered parquet blocks and boards are less prone to movement than solid timber, making them a better option for bathroom floors. A protective oil sealant gives a moisture-resistant finish.
Engineered European oak parquet blocks with brushed grain detail, bevelled edge and splash-resistant hardened oil finish, £97.05 per sqm, Ted Todd (tedtodd.co.uk)
The pattern and colour runs through the body of encaustic tiles, which are hardwearing and impact-resistant. When sealed, they are suitable for all areas, including wet rooms.
Arch Pearl encaustic tiles, 200x200mm, £220.50 per sqm, Limestone Herringbone encaustic tiles (used as border), 70x200cm, £199.58 per sqm, Bert & May (bertandmay.com)
Cork is a renewable bark harvested from the cork oak tree. Available in floor tile or plank formats, it’s water-, mouldand mildew-resistant, recyclable and biodegradable. Tradition Element glue-down cork tiles, 600x300mm, from £84.72 per sqm, Granorte (granorte.co.uk)
High-pressure laminate, acrylic or vinyl panel systems fit to the wall for a waterproof, seamless alternative to tiles. Choose from plain, patterned, stone-effect or mural designs.
Calacatta marble high-pressure laminate panels, from £180.28 per 2,440x900mm panel, Showerwall (showerwall.co.uk)
Water-resistant laminate flooring is a low-cost choice that’s durable and scratchresistant. These click-to-fit boards are designed for DIY installation. Eligna Estate oak light grey laminate, from £26.49 per sqm, Quick-Step (quick-step.co.uk)
Luxury vinyl floor tiles and planks are easy to install and keep clean, plus they’re warm underfoot. There’s a wide range of plains, patterns, and wood and tile effects to choose from.
Transform Azuriet luxury vinyl tiles, 329x659mm, £35.29 per sqm, Moduleo (moduleo.com)
Breathable clay plaster absorbs humidity and odours, and contains no toxic ingredients or VOCs. It’s not suitable for the shower area and professional installation is recommended.
Smooth-finish natural clay plaster, from £20 per sqm, Clayworks (clay-works.com). Reconfigured and extended home with bespoke bathroom by TR Studio (trstudio.co.uk)
Stone, ceramic and porcelain mosaics create a beautifully detailed finish. They are a practical option for wet room floors, where the many grout lines help to create an anti-slip surface. North Haven marble hexagon mosaics, 305x290mm, £152.96 per sqm, rectangular tiles, 100x300mm, £123.50 per sqm, from £4,286, Fired Earth (firedearth.com)
● Electric underfloor heating (UFH) has higher running costs than water-based, which is connected to your heating system, but is far cheaper and easier to install. This makes it a good option for individual rooms.
● Compatible with most hard floors, the system is laid over the solid subfloor and its low-profile design has little impact on the floor level.
● Choose from loose cables that can be arranged to suit the shape of the room or rollout and self-adhesive mat-based systems. All feature a network of wires that heat up when switched on in order to produce a radiant warmth transmitted upwards through the floor, creating an even spread of heat with no cold spots.
● It’s available in various heat outputs, so your choice will be dependent on the room size. If you’re unsure how to calculate the right output or which system to choose, your UFH supplier or bathroom designer can advise.
● Installing an easy-fit, mat-based electric UFH kit should be well within the scope of most competent DIYers – however, it must be connected to the mains by a Part P-registered electrician.
● Integrating timers and motion sensors help to maximise efficiency. Smart thermostats also allow for the settings to be adjusted remotely.
● Once installed, the system should be maintenance-free.
STAY COSY Advice on electric underfloor heating from John Naughten, managing director at Bathroom Design Studio London (bathroomdesign studiolondon.co.uk)
The National Custom & Self Build Association
campaigns to remove the barriers to more people in the UK building their own home. Look out for the NaCSBA stamp and be assured that you’ll be working with a company you can trust.
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All members are committed to working with self- builders in a fair and transparent manner
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All members are funding the growth of the sector so more people can have an individual home
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All members are covered by NaCSBA’s consumer Code of Practice – to protect you if things go wrong
Due to large bulk purchase owing to large education contracts, we have 800 kits 1 - 3m and 2 - 5m suitable for school playgrounds, car parks, driveways, paths, forecourts and outside areas.
Standard
only £60 per square metre.
RIGHT The two-storey, 144.7sqm extension and renovation project cost around £2,550 per sqm
BELOW A Portland stone frame was designed and manufactured by Ethical Stone (ethicalstone company.co.uk)
BELOW RIGHT The reclaimed brick planters create a terraced garden on the lower level
Whose home is this?
It belongs to Benedict and Helen Zucchi, who have two teenage children. Helen is a music tutor and Benedict, who is an architect, grew up in the four-bedroom house. It had an upper groundfloor extension, supported on stilts, with steps down to the garden but the lower ground floor was overshadowed and very gloomy.
What was your brief?
Benedict and Helen wanted better access to the garden, an extension with good thermal performance, and to turn the lower floor into somewhere to read and paint, as well as for guests to stay.
The new double-height extension steps out 2.5m from the back wall
and is slightly narrower than the house so it doesn’t appear too overbearing. Its chamfered and mitred Portland stone frame funnels light into the interior. On the upper level a strip of overhead glazing makes the extension appear to float away from the back wall while a balcony made from galvanised steel grating lets light into the floor below. The steps down to the garden are made from the same metal grating and reclaimed brick, which in turn matches the planters.
Was the build challenging? Yes, it was far more complex than it looks. We didn’t want beams running across the rooflight so we hid the horizontal supports lower down in the structure. And lots of work went into the junction between the stone, the door, the metal and the planters – that’s a lot of trades in just 1sqm of space. It was an interesting dynamic and there was a high
level of scrutiny and detailing, but Benedict and I ended up bouncing ideas off each other really well. Ultimately, I think this collaboration encouraged us both to take more of a risk with the design.
How has it turned out?
There is a nice balance as the extension is striking without being monolithic. Both floors are filled with light and it’s lovely to sit at the dining table with the doors open and the breeze coming through. The view from inside is of greenery all around.
Paul Archer Design, paularcherdesign.co.uk
Architect Richard Gill describes how a double-height extension links two floors of a townhouse to its garden
