There is a 2 m2
glass floor
above the entrance hallway BELOW
The master bedroom has an ensuite and the couple’s twin daughters share a ‘Jack and Jill’ bathroom
ALAN’S ADVICE
“Just enjoy it! You can always get over the hurdles – don’t think you’ve hit a brick wall because there’s always a way. It’s important to watch your finances, but also try and stretch yourself as much as you can to get exactly what you want. You’re only going to do it once”
timber stairs lead up to the kitchen/living area, and to the left is a more formal dining and lounge area. The kitchen units are dark grey gloss and the whole house is painted white, with the only notes of colour brought in by various accessories. “We just wanted something clean and minimal,” Alan explains. “Something simple.”
This decision was inspired in part by Alan’s self-confessed “OCD with cleanliness”. The kitchen company also installed matching units throughout the house, such as the TV unit, all of which are wall hung in order to allow for easy cleaning underneath.
Alan worked with another friend, electrician Johnny Cassells, on designing eye-catching lighting. The house has colour-changing LED lighting throughout – including around the edge of the glass floor – which they can control from phone apps. Adding this feature meant their original projected spend on electrical fittings tripled from £12,000 to £35,000. “That cost a bit more than we expected,” he admits. Despite this overspend, and breaking the budget in other areas such as landscaping,
march/april 2019
Alan’s glad he went for it and didn’t compromise. “My goal was to not scrimp on anything,” he says. “Overall, Alan estimates they went approximately £140,000 over their original budget.
THE WEE GLASSHOUSE
When they made the decision to redesign and reduce the main house from two and a half storeys to two, Alan and Lucy decided that, rather than lose the additional space, they would relocate it by including a room above the detached garage.
Although originally earmarked as a potential play space for the twins, halfway through the build they came up with another idea. “With my hospitality background, we thought maybe it’s something we can use for holidaymakers to enjoy the view,” explains Alan. And in allowing others to share the joys of the location, renting out the space also of course provides additional income for the family.
The name comes from the fact the extra building is “literally a mini version of Glasshouse,” says Alan. “It’s even got the same
www.sbhonline.co.uk 21
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