KEBONY WOOD CLADDING Kebony kebony.com


STONE Trebarwith Road Quarry trebarwith-roadrusticquarry.co.uk 010 21100


GRAVEL Castle an Dynas quarry www.cormacltd.co.uk


Pippa Young www.pippayounggallery.co.uk


David Mankin www.david-mankin.com


ARCHITECT Suzanne Brewer suzannebrewerarchitects.com 002 2


ARCHITECT (LOCAL) Lily Lewarne www.lillylewarne.co.uk 012 21000


converting that space into a terrace. At the opposite end of the upper oor, an elegant, galley-style kitchen with a  metre island. This sleek kitchen was designed by the local firm Treyone itchens, although ippa couldn’t resist tweaking the plans to remove a walled-off scullery.


“I wanted a clean space, with hidden handles and space for everything,” says Pippa, who even has a drawer made especially for her spice collection; they are keen cooks. The countertop was a personal triumph for Pippa – she chose Corian, which being a man-made material made it possible to have a single  metre length with no joints. She managed to source it herself, bagging a £3,000 discount.


ON REFLECTION Reecting on the project, ippa thinks that they would have benefitted from her sourcing more things directly. This also tied into to the other thing she wishes she had done differently; “I should have project managed it myself,” she admits, ruefully. With her skills from her design career, she believes she would have been able to stay on top of even this huge job. “If I did it again, I would be less starry-eyed about ‘experts’ and I would have rolled my sleeves up at the start. Experts don’t know what is perfect for you.”


In the end, Pippa still had to get stuck in when the expected completion date began to drift. “We had been in the [rented] cottage for


three years and I’d had enough,” Pippa recalls. “I scheduled deliveries of furniture etc. for the last week, but I ended up having to oil the


32 www.sbhonline.co.uk


The stand-out feature is the open corner facing the sea


downstairs oor myself. I skinned my ankles on it, but I had to do it. The builders were still sweeping out as we were moving in with the boxes.”


Once in, the couple found, like many self- builders, that the landscaping also needed to be done. And they found it wasn’t going to be quick or easy. “We asked our main contractors to do it, but due to Covid restrictions it took another 10 months,” says Pippa. Yet now, the experience of living in their new home and enjoying those views has been almost overwhelming. “I love coming home after a trip,” says Pippa. “It feels like a zen space. It is exactly as we wanted it to be, and I have to pinch myself sometimes. In fact, it has turned us into hermits, as we don’t want to leave!” That is perhaps the best testament to the impact designing and building your own home can have on your life and sense of well-being. And even the small details bring Pippa joy. “I love the space and even the nerdy details, such as the concrete oor. I also love the sense of peace and the calm I feel here. This house has come out exactly as I saw it in my head, and it is wonderful!”


STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Entos www.entosconsulting.co.uk 012 01


KITCHEN Treyone Kitchens www.treyonekitchens.co.uk 0102022


SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION (LUTRON LIGHTING & BLINDS SYSTEM) Intelligent Abodes Ltd intelligentabodes.co.uk/ smart-home-automation 012 2


sep/oct 2023


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