In search of space

A growing family in a London conservation area sought the help of an architect close to home to help them expand their modest property for the long-term, having caught the extension bug on an earlier project TEXT TOM BODDY IMAGES... View Article

New Year, New Home: Graven Hill reveals latest range of custom build properties

Graven Hill, the UK’s largest self and custom build development in Bicester, Oxfordshire, has released a new selection of three and five-bedroom custom build properties, for buyers looking to kickstart the year with a new home.   Designed with modern family living in mind, The Swale and The Glade are positioned a short walk from Graven Hill’s ancient historic... View Article

Cerys’ Palace in Crystal Palace

This project sits in the Church Road Conservation Area in Crystal Palace, South London and consists of a complete refurbishment of a beautiful, historic five-bedroom house and a rear extension Unlike with many other projects, the brief here was not... View Article

Origami House

Eve Dennehy of Structur Communications explores Origami House, a one bedroom garden building at a family home in West London that features complex geometry in its folded plate ‘origami’ style roof. Over the past ten years the average age of... View Article

Reclaiming control

Rob Lea had always wanted to design and build his own home, and convert an old barn, so when the opportunity came to do both – using reclaimed materials – he jumped at the chance TEXT Roseanne Field IMAGES Rob... View Article

Buying into the concept

Wanting to be part of the self-build hotspot that is Graven Hill, Dheeraj and Taniya Malik found a building system that they liked so much, they set up a business based around it TEXT Jess Unwin IMAGES Jess Unwin &... View Article

Daring to be different

Ex-headteacher Joan Morters opted for a timber-built passive house system and a roof shaped like butterfly wings for her retirement home TEXT JESS UNWIN IMAGES JESS UNWIN & JOAN MORTERS Former teacher Joan Morters’ self-build story is an inspiring lesson... View Article

Recycled retreat

Almost everything was recycled or reinvented in Sally and John Medforth’s rural retreat TEXT Heather Dixon   IMAGES Dave Burton When Sally and John Medforth bought a hillside farm in Yorkshire it came with a series of dilapidated 18th century... View Article

A family affair

Many parents would feel sceptical about letting their child design their future home. But for one couple in Liverpool, handing over the reins to their daughter turned out to be the best decision they made TEXT ANNA REYNOLDS IMAGES FAMILY’S... View Article

The fruits of determination

Listen here Nothing was going to stop resourceful self-builder Gill MacLeod achieving the house of her dreams, a major renovation in rural Scotland TEXT JAYNE DOWLE IMAGES EMMA GRAY Clambering around a delivery depot in a hi-vis vest and hard... View Article

An uphill battle

Listen here Ian and Julie Perrin were unsure about buying the ‘difficult’ plot of land they ended up building on in Montgomery, mid-Wales, but they convinced themselves to take the plunge TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES NIKHILESH HAVAL When the time... View Article

Curves in all the right places

Listen here Not only have Roger and Lucy Southcott achieved their ambition of building a home that’s energy self-sufficient with super-low greenhouse gas emissions, they’ve also created something that’s carefully shaped to fit the contours of its Wiltshire location TEXT... View Article

Dilapidated 1930s property restored to former glory

Originally a 1930s build, the property sits in the middle of a terrace row, typical of the South London properties in the area. The property was previously converted into two separate flats and the owner commissioned Steve Adams Architects to... View Article

Belvin builds UK ‘Home of the Year’

One of the latest grand designs built by Lincolnshire based Belvin Construction has been named ‘Best Individual New Home’ at the 2019 LABC Building Excellence Awards. Barrow House, at Hatcliffe, is a bespoke, contemporary home that’s set within the Lincolnshire... View Article

Going up the hill to downsize

Building a contemporary home had always been at the back of one West Sussex couple’s minds, but it wasn’t until downsizing became the sensible decision that it became a reality. Roseanne Field reports In a village in rural West Sussex... View Article