ABOVE: THE EXTERIORS OF THE PROPERTY INCLUDING THE BACK GARDEN The village of Stock is 500 years old, and
the green belt area surrounding it means that it is especially hard to placate everyone involved in building projects, as Gary discovered. "Each place up for development in the green belt zone is very subjective and taken on its own merit," Gary explains. "In some neighbours' cases, they had been denied permission to build, and their attitude was, 'If I can't get permission, why should anyone else be able to?' But you can't think like that in a place as protected as this, sometimes you're not so lucky and other times you are." Having the planning permission to build was one hurdle out of many. For instance, Gary spent £15,000 consulting a town and country planning expert to understand what was
feasible, having had no prior experience of big build projects. This helped him to understand the price and time constraints, as well as to appre- ciate the considerable challenges ahead. Deciding to go for a Georgian design, the
Wallers gradually began the plot transforma- tion. The interior design was inspired by a mix- ture of personal taste and happening upon show rooms throughout the planning and build- ing stage. The second master en-suite, however, was bought in Miami after the house had already been built. "We fell in love with the black and white tiling design and decided that, for a change, we'd go for something a bit more different and eclectic." When asked which room is his favourite, Gary immediately replies that
The garden was also a challenge to have landscaped, and inspiration came from buying copies of garden magazines –Gary Waller
the pool is home to many a fond memory. "We like to watch the rugby in the swimming pool on the flat screen there. We've had a lot of good times in the pool, lots of parties. Then there are the great additions to the house – for example the bars. There is one in the indoor pool, and another in the main house." The garden was also a challenge to have landscaped, and inspiration came from buying copies of garden magazines and asking gar- den-fanatic friends for tips. The family now has four gardeners to maintain what was previously wilderness and fields. Gary also made the most of his money by buying products in bulk and at wholesale price. "We bought some box plants that look like small trees at the wholesale price.
Continued on page 15... BELOW: THE KITCHEN
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.eu
13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68