LOW POINT


“We never have a low point, there’s only been problems which we’ve got round. The most important thing with housebuilding is to plan ahead – and run it like a military operation


John was wary of building on a steel frame, for example, partly because of the cost and partly because he admits he’s a traditionalist who likes solid walls. o masonry construction with a suspended block and beam ground floor and timber upper floors and roof was chosen as the build method.


A masonry build allowed John to best utilise his wide range of local contacts in the building trade, who were all familiar with this traditional way of housebuilding. It also created decent levels of thermal mass, ames adds, to contribute to the sustainable performance of the building. o help meet the terms of aragraph , in


terms of energy demand, maimum efficiency has been achieved by designing Beech House around the path of the sun, reducing the frequency and size of openings to the north, east and west sides of the house, which are the most exposed to colder temperatures and strong winds.


Good levels of insulation and airtightness were nonnegotiable. or the floor,  mm Kingspan K was chosen to provide high thermal performance balanced with the overall thickness and cost.


he walls are insulated with Knauf Dritherm 


to provide full fill insulation. his is a commonly used product, understood by all and simple to use and install, ensuring thermal continuity can be maintained, says ames. his material is also noncombustible so is a safe and fire regulations approved choice. The multi-pitched roof is constructed from Kingspan K , steelfaced composite roof panels that provide good levels of insulation and airtightness. It also achieves the


sep/oct 2024


desired rustic appearance for the new house. “Again, this is a material that is readily used in agriculture and John and the local workforce are eperienced at using this, says ames. John adds that he didn’t want a strictly ‘tin roof’ because the noise of rain would drive him mad. he flat roof of the balcony, off the main


bedroom, comprises Kingspan Kooltherm K and K insulated plasterboard to provide a level threshold from bedroom to balcony. A Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump and water cylinder powers ground floor underfloor heating, radiators upstairs and hot water. There is also a ground-mounted solar  array. ith efficient additions such as LED lighting, the resulting operational energy of the dwelling is as low as possible. To add weight to the agricultural aspect of the planning proposal, the land on which Beech House and its new farm building was to be built on included a former farmyard, so it was classed as brownfield. lso, there had been a farm dwelling on the site previously and neighbours nearby. “We worked closely with John and Sue, and Adam Case, a partner at local estate agency and chartered surveyors Cruso Wilkin, to develop the agricultural justification, says ames. he National Planning Policy Framework had been updated at the time to allow for succession planning and we worked with the local authority  orough ouncil Kings Lynn and est orfolk – and presented the case at the Planning Committee, with the scheme being approved subject to an agricultural tie.


his is the first time in their selfbuild history, John says, that he and Sue have stood back and let the architect take the lead.


www.sbhonline.co.uk 43


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