The ‘Wee Glasshouse’ is a mini-version of the main house, constructed over the garage as a holiday rental
www.theweeglasshouse.com
CONTACTS/ SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT
Andrew Black Design
www.andrewblackdesign.com
MAIN CONTRACTOR Dalgety Joiners (Marc Hendry) 01383 824388
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR
Johnny Cassells 07720 444298
WINDOWS Rationel
www.rationel.co.uk
kitchen.” The couple let it through Airbnb and HomeAway, and so far have had rave reviews. “Everyone absolutely loves it,” Alan says. “They treat it with respect, and it keeps me busy, with me being retired.”
LIVING IN A GLASSHOUSE
Alan and Lucy eventually moved into Glasshouse in December 2016, four years after first stumbling across the plot. However, completing the work was bittersweet for Alan. “I loved it, I didn’t want it to end!”
During the build, the site was a friendly place, with several familiar faces working on the project. They encountered no major issues, and Alan says he’d “do it again tomorrow” if he could, his confidence aided by having tackled his serious health worries. “Because of what’s happened to me medically, I just see that everything can be overcome.” The couple installed underfloor heating throughout, but having been living in the house for a while, they have rarely had to turn it on, thanks to the insulation, airtightness, and copious amounts of triple-glazed glass. “It
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www.sbhonline.co.uk
literally is like a greenhouse,” Alan says. He adds that, while it retains the heat, “Obviously you have to manage that.” The automatic rooflights, together with an MVHR system, provide good ventilation to help mitigate overheating. Despite his perhaps surprising disappointment about the build coming to an end, Alan and his family are extremely happy with the finished house, so much so that he can’t pinpoint a favourite feature. “It’s the whole thing, just everything!” he says. “Of course I wish I hadn’t spent as much money on it, but I can’t say it’s not been worth it.”
Since moving in, they’ve had the house valued at £1m, a figure much higher than they estimated beforehand. However, as much as Alan would like to do another project, selling is not a likely prospect at the moment. Alan and Lucy feel very lucky to have got the plot they did – although he jokes about the possibility of knocking the house down and building on it again! “It would have been brilliant to have sold it and used the money to do another project, but I can’t,” he says. “It was designed for our family, for our kids. I love this house.”
ROOFLIGHTS VELUX
www.velux.co.uk ROOF TILES
Marley (Edgemere)
www.marley.co.uk
SLIDING DOOR Schueco
www.schueco.co.uk
SILICONE RENDER Wetherby Building Systems
www.wbs-ltd.co.uk
FIREPLACE Stovax
www.stovax.com GLASS FLOOR
Structural Glass Design
www.structural-glass.com
march/april 2019
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