OVERCOMING CHALLENGES While the project ran fairly smoothly, Darren and Juliet did face a few obstacles along the way, the biggest of which happened one evening, after the house had been locked up for the night. “Someone broke in and stole the lead capping from the roof, damaging the patio doors in the process,” says Darren. “Luckily we had Protek Site Insurance, which proved invaluable.”
Despite the company being quick to act, the break-in remained at the back of their minds for the rest of the build. “It was a real concern,” says Darren. “Every time we locked up, we were worried. It didn’t feel very nice.” For Darren, project management was a highly rewarding job, but it also wasn’t without its challenges. “I was responsible for deliveries to the site,” he says. “I hadn’t considered the complexities of this and materials would turn up on different sized lorries, with various offloading mechanisms. Some even turned up with no offloading facility at all!” Despite good access, the logistics of every delivery had to be planned and monitored meticulously.
Co-ordinating the scaffolding also proved to be a tricky aspect to manage. “I hadn’t considered that each trade would require the scaffolding to be positioned at a different height,” says Darren. “In order for everyone to work safely and efficiently, there was a constant
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“People tend to overcomplicate things when self- building, we wanted to go back to basics”
need for compromise.”
Another challenge came in the form of the chimney, which ended up being a complex part of the design. “I had no appreciation of the technicalities involved in designing and building a chimney,” says Darren. “It’s a dark art, but with the support of Benjamin Allen, our bricklayer, and a patient builders’ merchant, we got there in the end.”
Benjamin Allen was only contractually responsible for work up to the first fix stage, but despite this were always there to ensure the build went off without a hitch. “From day one, they couldn’t do enough to provide advice and guidance. They were always available with 24/7 support and were quick to answer any questions,” says Darren.
nov/dec 2020
MASTER BEDROOM
The master bedroom benefits from large windows and an elevated position, maximising landscape views across the garden
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