OPEN PLAN
Glass doors in the open plan kitchen/dining/living space lead onto Douglas fir decking and steps down to the garden
BOB’S ADVICE
“Think hard about ways to reduce waste, use reclaimed materials or upcycle existing furniture. I like natural materials because plastic is doing so much damage in
the world.”
formed the outer shell of the building. It would have been nice to make the cabin a bit wider, but that would have involved moving soil, which we didn’t want to do.” Work began in 2017 to prepare the site,
carefully scraping away a minimal amount of the ground and clearing dead trees. The structure was supported on concrete plinths, which sit on the ground and are suitable for heavy-duty applications of up to 2.5 tonnes per plinth. “I designed the cabin on trailer wheels which Bob had on the farm, with the chassis made by a steel fabricator, so that technically you could move the whole building,” says Stuart, who thoroughly researched the project. “Steel wire ropes were fired into the ground using a petrol-driven machine, then attached to the chassis to anchor the building.”
A suspended timber floor with a chipboard topping was put down, onto which the stud walls were built. Good Life Joinery was responsible for the entire build, which was completed using timber grown on the Devon/Cornwall border. “They prefabricated the panels offsite, so it only took about two weeks to put together, including roofing and making it watertight,” says Bob, who helped by labouring and physically manhandling materials up the narrow track from the farmyard where they were stored. “Stuart was such a good find, he takes pride in his work and is a real craftsman. His biggest problem was probably putting up with me!” Thermafleece insulation was chosen for the
roof, walls and floors. It is made from a combination of natural sheep’s wool and recycled
july/august 2019
fibres, with all wool sourced only from British farms – a key requirement for Bob and Pat. “I detest all these plastic, chemical-based
products, and so many modern insulations irritate the skin when you handle them,” Bob explains. “I think a farmer’s wife first had the idea of using waste wool as insulation, and as farmers ourselves it seemed the perfect product to use.” Galvanised guttering and Big Six profile corrugated fibre cement panels were chosen for the roof, in keeping with the rustic, agricultural feel of external vertical larch cladding, which has been left untreated to weather naturally. Low maintenance aluminium-clad windows
were installed and sliding aluminium glass doors have been fitted across the front of the cabin, opening the main living space to views through the trees. Instead of curtains, sliding external wooden shutters were made by Stuart to
“They prefabricated the panels offsite, so it only took about two weeks to put together, including roofing and making it watertight”
www.sbhonline.co.uk 83
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
