lounge, an alternative to the open living space below with a large window providing another great view over the landscape. “We think this is going to be our winter lounge,” says Sarah. A frameless glass balustrade sits outside the lift-and-slide windows as well as behind the sliding windows to the master bedroom; “you can barely see it at night,” enthuses Sarah.
COST & CHALLENGES
Achieving cost savings has been a major goal for Andy and Sarah, and they have used their contacts in the industry to get products direct from manufacturers where possible, or simply contacting companies to find the cheapest price for the products they want. An example is the striking grey laminate internal doors which ended up not costing much more than “bog standard” doors. They have magnetic black ‘carbon fibre’ handles, completing a modern look inspired by the couple’s love of Formula 1. Sarah is proud of their thrifty approach: “Almost nothing in this house has been bought at retail price.” She explains further: “We’ve basically bought on sale or gone to the manufacturer.” For example, the sofa and rugs to the living area came from an auction. A further weapon was their project manager, who was invaluable in helping to shave thousands both off the costs of the steel in the build, and associated concrete foundations, following Brexit concerns forcing a hike in steel
46
www.sbhonline.co.uk
prices. Sarah says: “There was originally £23,000 of steel in the design holding up the cantilevers, and protecting the sliding door against deflection.”
Despite the £300K budget being adhered to rigorously in most cases, the brickwork went “massively over,” says Sarah. This has prompted the couple to think that if they had their time over, they’d have gone for timber frame throughout. “We would have got it done much quicker, while getting the same result from the point of view of air-tightness.”
Unfortunately their project manager was to fall ill late last year and was unable to return, leaving Sarah and Andy to project manage on their own, over the critical final stages of fixtures and finishes. “We’ve basically managed it since Christmas, you learn on the job,” she says philosophically. Despite the ups and downs, they’ve achieved a cost of £1,395 per square metre, which is “not bad at all when you look at the space, the high ceilings, and the fact we have a few nice things,” says Sarah. The sliding doors to the living area were the ultimate example of this, but were also probably the most nervewracking challenge. The glass panels, each weighing a third of a ton, had to be craned into the back garden from the adjacent car park, there being no direct rear access.
Sarah says the installation, despite the help of a robot, was “very hairy, terrifying”. She
september/october 2019
GLASS LIFT
The glass panels for the rear sliding doors, each weighing a third of a ton, had to be craned into the back garden from the car park next door
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
