LOW POINT
“Suzanne dropped her phone in her coffee cup twice! But there weren’t really any low points in terms of the actual build.” – David Dines
“It was hard living in the house across the road and David hated it. I was travelling a lot, and he was here on his own, that was difficult. – Suzanne Tyler
Suzanne. “He has a small team of about four, he knows all his subcontractors really well and the finish was fantastic. For the bungalow redesign, David and Suzanne worked with Fermín Beltrán Dos Santos at Fife Architects and their brief was relatively straightforward, as Suzanne explains: “As light as possible, maximise the views, space for all our paintings and let’s try and do it as environmentally friendly as possible.” While the builder and architect hadn’t worked together previously, all three parties quickly established a good relationship as Suzanne recalls: “We were totally swayed by the feeling that you can trust and relate to someone. When we spoke to Fermín, I had that feeling and it was the same with the builders. I felt very trusting of all the people that worked with us.” To get the ball rolling, the couple provided
Fermín with some sketches of their own and while they were in agreement about a large open plan living space, they had located the kitchen at the front of the house. “Fermín told us that everywhere we were going to live during the day should be at the back to enjoy the views,” says Suzanne. “‘Put the bathroom at the front – you don’t need a view from the bathroom.’ However, I did have a romantic notion of putting the bath at the window so I could look out to sea – and then I remembered we also overlook a golf course!”
sep/oct 2024
David continues: “We wanted to give Fermín a chance to design something with some scope, and that was what he wanted too. We didn’t push him, but he quickly realised what we liked.” Some of Fermín’s suggestions included the overhang over the deck, the sheltered outdoor space outside the bedroom and the Crittal- esque windows. “So many new builds along the coast have balconies and they never get used because it’s too windy. As Fermín lives locally, he was accustomed to the wind direction, and he knew precisely where to give us shelter.” Fermín’s redesign also included extending and converting the original garage into a kitchen, pantry and utility space and adding an extension along the back of the house to incorporate a large dining area and outdoor terrace. The spare room is also located to the rear of the property and dolphins have already been spotted from the window. At the front of the house is the main bathroom and a TV room. On the upper storey is the principal bedroom with that all important view out to sea and a second spare bedroom.
While the aim was to be as environmentally friendly as possible there have been a few concessions as David explains: “There’s still a lot of steel and concrete in the building but we’ve eliminated gas by installing an air source heat pump and solar panels.” Triple glazing has been fitted throughout and the house is now
www.sbhonline.co.uk 61
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
