NORTH ELEVATION
Following the construction of the house Huf
would then send different crews to do different jobs, from electrical work to plumbing. This all took place from December to mid May, as there were some gaps between crews arriving. Huf provided the Clarkes with a full service,
from building the outside of the house to doing the ceilings, putting in the under floor heating, tiling and painting. “It was pretty pain free,” Daryl says. “It is certainly more expensive than a traditional self build but you get a Rolls-Royce style product.” The interior of the house couldn’t be more
different to the couple’s old Victorian house in London. Every room has a door that opens onto the balcony and a window overlooking the patio. The back of the house is almost entirely glass. They made a conscious decision to have an open-plan design. The style of the house is all monochrome (white walls and black wood). “We like modern designs and we have lots of colourful art to break it up,” Daryl says. He says that thanks to this open space, his
children - Harry and Eva - have a big play area where they can scoot around.
Fine tuning While they weren’t that involved in the actual building of the house they were more involved in fitting the kitchen. They used their friend’s company in Birmingham – über kitchens – and hired a local person to install it. “We got a very modernist kitchen with grey and white that goes
very well with the whole theme of the house,” Daryl says. They also got the bathroom from a discount store and got a plumber to fit it in the house. Would he recommend a Huf house after all? “Absolutely. We have friends who have built their homes and they go through a lot of stress and hassle. Cost aside, Huf made the experi- ence almost painless.” What advice would Daryl give to those considering building their own homes? Make sure you do your research beforehand. “I didn’t realise, for example, that you have to wait 12 weeks for an electricity supplier to cut off the electricity when demolishing a house, or that the local council won’t automatically add you to the postal register once you have asked for permission to demolish a house and build a new one.” And what about that swimming pool? “I am
not convinced but my wife is very keen so we will see.”
project costs
Cost of land: £1.14 million Overall cost of project: £985,000 Value of property now: est. £2 million
What was the high point of the project? Finding a plot pretty quickly and getting planning permission almost hassle free.
The low point was: Having to scrap plans to build a swimming pool as a result of the depreciation of the pound against the euro.
Contacts
• Architect: Peter Huf • Kitchen: über kitchens
WEST ELEVATION
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.eu
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