PLAYFUL The ground floor includes a games room with its own climbing wall


of the mast and is often filled with cushions. Much of the furnishings came from the old house – chairs that belonged to Wendy’s grandmother sit alongside on-trend mid-20th century design pieces, and an Ercol sofa. The vaulted ceiling displays stunning glulam trusses from which cluster of giant paper lampshades hang.


“Our favourite structural element is the exposed truss in the lounge area,” says Jeff. The vaulted ceiling was Wendy’s idea, the glulam Andy’s.


A wall art sculpture of fish by Cornwall glass artist Jo Downs, which was ready long before the house offers a hint of the coastal position, alongside a wall-mounted fly fishing rod above the staircase.


The kitchen is stuffed with modern appliances – an American fridge freezer with water dispenser and ice box, electric oven and Neff gas hob, microwave and two dishwashers, but it is the striking splashback which is typical of


july/august 2019


how the family added their own tastes to the house that draws the eye. “People either love them or hate them,” admits Wendy. The designs are random, and boxes are bought unseen and filled with potentially 50 or 60 different designs. Lighting features, including the makeshift chandelier (created from a reclaimed girder) over the giant dining table are bold to stand up to the vaulted ceiling.


Local tradespeople carried out much of the work on the house. “The only thing that came from London is the kitchen,” says Wendy. And their advice to other self builders? Be


prepared, says Jeff. “Rather boringly, we had no particular surprises, good or bad. We were well-prepared, had a good team, and had the money in place before embarking on the project. The only real disappointment was our main contractor being let down by two decorating sub-contractors in August 2018. That ended up delaying planning consent by over three months.” 


www.sbhonline.co.uk 57


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