anything to do with DIY!” he admits. “But whenever major decisions had to be made I was always onsite to make them, and make sure it was done right.”
The house was built using a timber kit frame, completely assembled onsite, but it allowed last minute changes. “If something wasn’t in the right place I could move it, before it was constructed,” Alan says. For example, the position of the Velux rooflights was shifted slightly, as were some windows in the girls’ bedrooms, in order to provide a view straight out onto the courtyard. “Everything was tweaked onsite as we went along – we even moved doorways that didn’t sit right before it was built,” he says. “It was just pieces of wood when it arrived.”
Organising sub-contractors was a responsibility Alan shared with Marc. Many were people Marc had used in the past, while Alan took care of organising the areas he hadn’t had previous experience with. For example, he wanted a special sprayed guttering that was colour matched to the house. “I sourced the companies and negotiated prices. I like to get a bargain, and I could use the fact it was on TV to my advantage!”
DESIGN
With the house’s enviable location, it was designed very much with the view in mind. “We told the architect we wanted every room to have a view,” says Alan.
The house is finished with a mix of white render and slate cladding. There are large amounts of glass, hence the ‘Glasshouse’ name – floor to ceiling windows stretch all the way along the south elevation at the first floor, providing
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www.sbhonline.co.uk
“I’m useless at anything to do with DIY, but whenever major decisions had to be made I was always on site to make them”
panoramic views out over the Firth of Forth. There are also several rooflights, frameless glass balustrades around the balcony and stairs, and even a two metre by two metre glass floor above the entrance hallway. Entering the house, you can see right up to the pitched roof. The glass floor proved controversial throughout the project. Lucy wasn’t keen on the basis they would lose the floor space upstairs, and Luxton tried to convince Alan to leave it open and put a red, metal balustrade around it to echo the Forth Bridge – a suggestion he firmly resisted.
The house has an ‘upside down’ layout – the four bedrooms are on the ground floor with the living areas upstairs, in order to maximise the views. The master bedroom includes an ensuite and dressing room and the twins each have their own room, sharing a ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom. There’s also a guest bedroom, also with ensuite. Upstairs is one large open plan space – one of Alan and Lucy’s requirements. The bespoke
march/april 2019
There are several rooflights in the property
HIGH POINT
“Just living here with the family. That was the dream.” – Alan Brown
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