their imaginations. The 0.8-acre site lies on the edge of a Leicestershire conservation village, enjoying west-facing views, and is fl anked by a fi eld that can never be developed due to a Scheduled Monument at the boundary. “We didn’t even look inside the bungalow,” recalls Sarah. “It had been empty for a couple of years and was so poorly built that trying to adapt the awkward layout would have cost far more than starting again. It was also poorly insulated and incredibly energy ineffi cient, so a new house made much


W


hen Sarah and Jon Simpkin set out to build a new home, it was the setting rather than the weary dormer bungalow on the plot which fi rst captured


more sense – especially as we would be VAT exempt with a new build.”


The couple had already lived through one extensive project, spending 14 years in a house in Market Harborough they had transformed beyond recognition. “We took the roof, side and back off that house,” says Sarah. “After that, we thought we were done on the building front, but the location wasn’t ideal. We realised we had one more build in us before the children left home.” The couple’s son is at university, while their two daughters are in their early twenties and currently living at home, so the family needed a house that worked for them both now and also in the


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