P


erched on a cliff above the west Wales coast, Jane and Neil’s self-built home is all about the importance of place, family memories and environmentally conscious design. “I’ve been coming here ever since I can remember, says Jane, a GP. “My father is retirement age, and we wanted to do a project together.” Initially, Jane began the search with the idea of buying a seaside cottage. Ten years later, Jane is the proud owner of an extraordinary three-bedroom home that is cantilevered off the clifftop, with views to the horizon. During this long journey, Jane also met her partner, Neil, and the couple have welcomed three children, all of whom have now also grown up in what they call ‘home by the beach’. Jane didn’t plan it this way, of course. “I was looking for a seaside cottage, then randomly, I saw the old ice cream parlour we used to visit as kids. It had been split into two fl ats. I initially thought to renovate, but my architect suggested we fl atten it and start again.” Jane worked with Welsh architectural practice Hyde + Hyde, which she found via an online search. “I looked for contemporary architects, and I was taken by their designs. They’re so talented,” recalls Jane. “I said, ‘Let’s go for something really contemporary.’ This home is uniue, its energy effi cient, and it is sensitive to the environment.” Setting drove the design. Located on a small inlet on the Ceredigion coast, the house is designed around the extraordinary views, creating an immersive experience that is equally respectful of the natural environment. A reverse


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level layout gives the living spaces and the master bedroom the best views, with a deep axis in the fl oor plan that allows the sun to penetrate the heart of the house. Working within the footprint of the original building, a cantilevered section on the fi rst fl oor adds more space. Here, huge four metre sliding glazed doors create the ultimate connection to the surrounding seascape.


“It was such a clever use of space, and it connects us to the ocean. It’s like reaching out to sea,” says Jane. “It’s spectacular in a storm; it’s my favourite place to sit.”


Getting the construction right was key to this ambitious design. The ground fl oor is built in concrete, with a lighter-weight, timber-framed glulam structure at the fi rst-fl oor level. Responding to the cliffside location, Hyde + Hyde opted for an innovative concrete substructure that enables the home to be built on cantilevered concrete foundations. This specially designed structure provides resilience by anchoring the home to the most stable, inland part of the site. This has secured the structure for the long-term, while allowing Jane and Neil to embrace their much-loved views. “Of course, we thought about erosion,” says Jane. “But we had lots of surveys and investigations of the granite below. It won’t be going anywhere. Plus, there’s no erosion on our inlet. It seems precarious, but we did our homework!”


Getting such an innovative house built was


Jane’s biggest challenge. “Planning permission was straightforward, thanks to our architect’s diligence,” recalls Jane. “And we met with the


LOW POINT


“In the Easter of 2022, one of our largest win- dows downstairs was a victim of thermal expan- sion. We heard a loud bang and went down to fi nd the window com- pletely shattered. We were so close to fi nishing the house, but this set us back. The original glazing company were no longer trading, and others were reluctant to quote for a replacement piece of glazing due to the sheer size of it and the risks of reinstalling it. This was an expensive setback and delayed our fi nish date until spring 2023.”


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