The groundworks were fairly complex. In addi-
The house is exactly what we wanted –Laurie Upshon
THE WINDOWS HAVE SNAP-ON FLYSCREENS SO THE UPSHONS CAN LET THE SUMMER INTO THE LIVING ROOM
tion to digging the huge pit in which the base- ment would sit when delivered, the Upshons had to have sewerage for a pumped sewage system installed, and have the two 5,000 litre rain- water tanks sunk into the ground. The plans allowed a gap of about a metre around the basement walls, which would be covered by eco-friendly, wood-plastic decking at the rear with grated light wells to take some natural light down to the basement. The basement was installed quickly when ir
arrived, and covered with the slab, which would eventually take the house itself four weeks later. Although the engineered structural insu- lated panels that would form the walls, the stair- case, the doors and all the timber structure arrived from Germany on one truck, the Upshons’ narrow driveway meant Hanse Haus had to park at a nearby services and transfer them on to smaller lorries. The build was completed in 10 weeks and
the Upshons were ready to move in when a problem surfaced; the basement had sprung a leak: “We cannot fault Glatthaar,” said Laurie. “As soon as the problem was discovered, they gave it their full attention and constantly reas- sured us that they would remedy it. It necessi- tated the entire basement being dug out again and re-tanked.” The work lasted several months: “We spoke to the MD at Glatthaar, who said he’d worried right through Christmas about us. He genuinely meant it.”
THE STOCK OF LOGS MAY LAST A WHILE – SO FAR, THE NEAR-PASSIVHAUS HOME HASN'T NEEDED HEATING
The basement restored, the decking was then
rebuilt by German craftsmen from new material, despite the fact that the original material had been saved. Outside, Laurie and Heidi have a modest gar-
den with minimum borders to reduce the work- load. An outhouse includes a substantial log store to feed the contemporary log burner the Upshons had installed in the main living room. “The log stove meant we had to have a chim-
ney installed through the middle of the house and to be honest, that led to a small compromise on the first floor,” said Laurie. “But other than that, the house is exactly what we wanted.”
...continued on page 25
THE UPSHONS SELECTED GALVANISED GUTTERING. THE GRATING IN THE DECKING IS OVER THE LIGHT TUNNELS TO THE BASEMENT
selfbuilder & homemaker
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