interior also reflects this old-new combination, with light, open spaces, streamlined kitchen units and modern feature light fittings working side by side with oak and walnut antique furniture, bought through Ian’s new fine furniture business at Crimple Hall near Harrogate. “We did a lot of research before the walls
started going up,” says Elaine. “Ian is very good at visualising everything in his head and working out how things are going to look, but I have to see everything in situ before I know whether or not it will work. We travelled all over the place taking photographs of houses we liked. I would knock on people’s doors to ask permission and it’s amazing how generous and helpful people can be with their time and information. Then I would go home and superimpose the houses onto a picture of the plot, so I could see exactly how certain bricks, roof tiles and designs would look.”
Build phase
By building a U-shaped house, with a conservatory in the centre, we would have the best of both worlds. The conservatory opens directly onto the garden but it is sheltered on three sides by the main house
The build finally began in earnest in September 2014 under the experienced guidance of now retired builder John Sutton who was, says Ian, a “fantastic, old-fashioned bricklayer” and came recommended by architect Steve Johnson. “The build was pretty straight forward with
hardly any hitches, apart from the fact that the roof pitches were written down on the plans as being 45 degrees but were, in reality, 55 degrees. As a result, some of the walls had to be adjusted to compensate for the miscalcula- tion,” says Ian. “The original design also included two balconies at the back of the house but these would have cost too much for our budget, so we decided not to have them. The builder was working to a fixed cost and we made adjustments and compromises along the way to keep within that cost.” Although the house is not an eco-build, Elaine
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.co.uk
19
LOW POINT Elaine: When we spent an afternoon
taking photographs of
local properties, a resident thought we were
checking out houses with suspicious intent!
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