spent time taking leaflets around to neighbours, explaining what she was hoping to do. “I had quite a few people slam doors in my face; I really had to pick myself up after that,” she admits. This was one of the few times she felt like giving up on the project.


Patsy submitted an initial application which went through several rounds of amendments. Each time she was given reasons as to why it wasn’t being approved, and her architect used the feedback to make changes. She says it was a dispiriting experience: “They make you feel like it’s been rejected. I think there’s a massive lack of vision when it comes to planning, and young people wanting to do it – like it’s thought of as something they shouldn’t be doing.” The main restrictions they had to work with


related to the height and floor area – both of which couldn’t exceed those of the workshop and stables previously on the site. They combined the total floor area of both buildings to create one larger building, and dug down to create a basement level while keeping within the height restriction. Finally, after two and a half years of meetings, amendments, and knocking on doors, Patsy was given one final chance at the end of 2019 to present her plans and make her case at a local council meeting, before a vote. “I had to go through loads of hoops,” she explains. “But I got there in the end, I’m relentless!” In fact, she managed to swing it by a single vote. Patsy decided to break for Christmas to relax


80 www.sbhonline.co.uk


before getting the ball rolling again in January 2020, creating the project plan including efficiently scheduling when which trades should come onsite. “When you speak to contractors they’ll tell you they can’t come in until such-and- such trade has been in, but I would see gaps in the schedule so I constantly had people onsite and working,” she explains. After a thorough check for wildlife, which thankfully wasn’t an issue, work began demolishing the workshop and starting groundworks in February 2020. Although no wildlife was found, a habitat and ecology management plan had to be put in place and maintained, for which Patsy found a landscape architect helpful in implementing.


BUILDING THE HOUSE As she was on a tightly controlled budget, Patsy took every opportunity to save money, and project managed the build herself (with the help of architect Andy). Despite the inevitable stress, she says she enjoyed it, particularly after the gruelling planning battle. “It was intense,” she says. “But you’ve got control, and know where you are with stuff, so that felt a lot better.” Patsy’s job involves delivering events – including the construction of large sets – so she says that many elements of project managing a self-build felt familiar, and “aligned to her skill set.”


One of the toughest parts of the experience to contend with was occasional bouts of


may/june 2022


PATSY PARR’S TOP TIPS


• “Knowing where you’re going. Have a vision board of what you want to create” • “Persistence and hav- ing a relentless streak is important, because it can take a toll on you” • “People are kind, so ask for help! We often shy away from asking for help but go to local experts and ask for their thoughts – it helps to have a base level understanding be- fore starting, and build up your knowledge” • “A rest can really help you to reset and go again, take those little moments” • “Give it a go! Quite often we’re told that ‘we shouldn’t,’ that it’s out of our remit, but it’s not”


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