DESIGNS FOR LIFE Twelve pages of inspiration, insight and nuts-and-bolts advice for anyone looking to build their own dream house - Passivhaus Trust
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April 21, 2019
DESIGNS FOR LIFE
Twelve pages of inspiration, insight and
nuts-and-bolts advice for anyone looking
to build their own dream house
2 April 21, 2019 The Sunday Times The Sunday Times April 21, 2019 3
Grand Designs Build
F
or 20 years, the nation has At the top end of
PHIL YEOMANS/BNPS
gossiped and gawked as Kevin factory-built kit
McCloud’s Grand Designs homes, a Huf
regaled us with fraught tales of Haus, right, costs FROM
water towers, woodsman’s
cottages and ruined castles. Building your
from £3,000 per
sq metre £250,000
own house, we have seen again and again,
is not for the faint of heart — you may even
need five heart bypasses, as one subject of
the Channel 4 show found.
It need not be so any more, however.
The evolution of custom-build sites makes
it possible to be a sofa self-builder, doing
Grand Designs the easy way. The
developer takes care of the hard part —
finding land, getting planning permission WILTSHIRE
and installing services and access — and The first 12 of 70 custom-build plots at
they’ll build and manage as much of the Marlborough Park, near Swindon’s
home as you like. But you get to make it vibrant old town, offer a wide choice of
your own, specifying everything from the layouts and finishes. Prices start at
floorplan to the finishes. £250,000 for a two-bedroom house.
“We give people choice when they buy 07809 306367, designyourhome.com
a new car; why on earth not when they
make the most expensive purchase of
their lives?” asks Kim Slowe, the chief Right, a Facit
executive of Design Your Home, which is Homes design in
developing four custom-build sites, with South Woodford,
another 10 in the pipeline. At his schemes east London FROM
in Basingstoke and Swindon, you can
choose from up to six layouts for every
£181,750
floor, plus 10 options each on bathrooms,
kitchens, doors, handles and skirtings
(designyourhome.com).
Only 7% of new homes in England are
self- or custom-build, compared with
57% in Germany and 70% in Austria.
The government backed Britain’s first
custom-build pilot site, for 54 homes by
Igloo at Heartlands, near Redruth in
Cornwall, only three years ago ESSEX
(£195,000-£295,000 for a plot and home; Designed to Passivhaus principles
homemadeheartlands.co.uk). Now this around greens with fruit trees, the 51 rural
fledgling sector accounts for 1,500-2,000 custom-build homes at Oakley Orchards
of the estimated 14,500 self-build homes are 10 miles from Manningtree. Layouts
under construction, says Gus Zogolovitch, vary from two to five bedrooms.
its representative on the board of the 01803 814076, oakleyorchards.com
National Custom & Self Build Association
GRAND
(NaCSBA). Though ministers want 20,000
self-build homes a year by 2020, economic
uncertainty limits AMA Research’s Master plan she is creative director — has since Like these 10 owners, who paid about
forecast to 16,000 a year by 2022.
The demand is there. Since 2016, more
Ben and Merry
Albright built a
branched out to offer more than 50
custom-build plots for sale across villages
£100,000 each for a serviced plot, you can
build creatively within the broad planning FROM
than 40,000 people have signed up to 5,000 sq ft oak- in Herefordshire and West Sussex (from limits of a “plot passport”; or you can fit £899,995
Right to Build registers across England, framed house in £145,000 per plot; borderoak.com). They out a ready-made shell from £300,000.
which logs those seeking a plot to create Herefordshire, gained consent for all those sites via Serviced plots allow you to choose just
DESIGNS
their dream home in each council area. above neighbourhood plans, Merry says. about any pre-manufactured kit home,
From this month, councils must start Gus Zogolovitch brought custom-build from a timber-frame design by Potton
granting equivalent planning permissions. to the capital through Unboxed Homes (£1,400-£1,600 per sq metre; potton.
Some councils are going to great lengths after it took him five years to build his own co.uk) to a high-end Huf Haus (from
to meet demand, such as Teignbridge home, in Queen’s Park, north London. “It £3,000 per sq metre; huf-haus.com). You
district council, in Devon, which requires was a fantastic experience, but difficult.” could even bring in a “flying factory”: a
new developments to set aside 5% of plots His third custom-build scheme, five shell shipping container with a precision 3D
LONDON SE15
for custom- or self-build. But one in four
THE EASY WAY
terraces in Peckham, southeast London, cutting machine that crafts your home on
councils have made it harder for people to took about five years to get off the ground, site according to a detailed digital design. At London’s only live custom-build site, in
join their registers, charging fees as high yet will take buyers six months to fit out At Graven Hill, this is how Beattie Passive Peckham Rye, five architect-designed
as £350 and requiring you to prove a local (unboxedhomes.com). “Custom-build is has built a range of Passivhauses with terraced homes have double-height
connection, NaCSBA says. not necessarily cheaper than a developer ultra-low energy bills (beattiepassive.com; spaces and split-level floor plans. A
Many of the more than 500 [designed and built] house, but if you’ve see more about Passivhauses on page 6). three/four-bedroom shell is £899,995.
neighbourhood plans made since 2011 by chosen all the things you love, you get On a quiet corner of the same site, that 020 7234 0862, unboxedhomes.com
communities across England provide for better value,” he says. is also how Facit Homes is creating a
custom- and self-build — freeing up more
sites. Five years ago, Merry and Ben
Creating your own Look for custom-build plots on Zoopla,
Rightmove and custombuildhomes.co.uk.
charred timber house with a sawtooth
roof and woodland views for Londoners
Albright, with their children Minerva, Or try exhibitions such as Grand Designs Marc and Laura Marsdale and their two
now 14, and Gabriel, 10, started looking dream house is a Live and the Homebuilding & Renovating young daughters. “Despite our long-held
for a plot to build in Eardisland, Show. You pay no stamp duty on the desire to build our own home, the effort of
Herefordshire, where Merry had
lived all her life. “There was
daunting prospect, but finished home — only on the land cost if it
is above £150,000. Custom-build is also
finding a suitable plot and battling
through planning was just not something
£360,000
nothing available,” says Merry, exempt from VAT and community we wanted to take on. So the ‘plug and
42. Landowners told them the rise of custom-build infrastructure levy, which is otherwise play’ concept of custom-build seemed like
they would “never secure charged with planning consent for a new the perfect answer. I don’t think we would
approval... The land we set
our eyes on was just
sites is making it simpler. house. “The savings are big factors that
make custom-build very attractive,” says
have done it otherwise,” says Marc, who
works in finance. A Facit home costs
outside the village’s black
line, where nothing was By Martina Lees Michael Holmes, chairman of NaCSBA.
Mortgages are more expensive than for
about £2,100 per sq metre, plus 10-17%
architects’ fees (facit-homes.com).
constructed for 20 years.” conventional homes — try the specialist Marc adds: “To live in something we’ve
But Eardisland’s new BuildStore — but you can remortgage in had a hand in designing, rather than being
neighbourhood plan now the mainstream market once it’s built. made for someone else, is the ultimate OXFORDSHIRE
allows custom- and self-build, Britain’s biggest site for building your way of creating order for your life.” Three-bedroom Passivhaus terraces are
such as their 5,000 sq ft oak- own home is Graven Hill, near Bicester, among the custom-build options for sale
framed house. the Oxfordshire town famous for its Kevin McCloud will be at Grand Designs at Graven Hill, Britain’s largest such
Border Oak, the bespoke oak- designer shopping village. Among the first Live at ExCeL, London E16, from May 4 to scheme. South of Bicester, it is 50min by
framed home manufacturer founded 40 of its 1,900 homes are those in the current 12. To claim two any-day tickets for £18, rail from London and 15min from Oxford.
years ago by Merry’s father — and where six-part series Grand Designs: The Street. quote TIMES19 at granddesignslive.com 01869 228041, gravenhill.co.uk
6 April 21, 2019 The Sunday Times The Sunday Times April 21, 2019 7
Grand Designs Green Living
BUILDING THE
“sensitive spot”, Emily says. Yet Kintyre’s
It took 16 months, design by Tate Harmer, the sustainable
architects now designing a hotel for the HOW TO BUILD A
PASSIVHAUS
FUTURE
Eden Project in Cornwall, won planning
£800,000 and two permission on the first attempt — and is on
the shortlist for a regional award from the
winters in a yurt, but Royal Institute of British Architects.
“A lot of the houses around it are
Passivhaus is the ultimate standard
for sustainable homes. If you want to
traditional. The planners were keen to be as eco-friendly as possible, where
this eco-home was keep that feel, but we wanted to give it a do you start?
modern twist,” says Rory Harmer, partner
worth it, its owners at the practice (tateharmer.com). Their
solution? The traditional shape of a
Visit one before you build The
Passivhaus Trust has annual open days
tell Martina Lees pitched roof, but with clean lines clad top
to bottom in timber “like a lovely, well-
(passivhaustrust.org.uk). Go global at
passivehouse-database.org/index.
crafted jewellery box”, as Harmer puts it.
E
Replacing an icy prefab with a Go all out to ensure certification
mily Spry, a doctor turned Passivhaus helped justify “special or decide at the start to merely follow
Extinction Rebellion circumstances” with the planners. By Alex Paul, Emily the principles to build a low-energy
campaigner, was one of more knocking down outbuildings, they could Spry and their house. “If you’re aiming for full
than 500 activists arrested add equivalent volume to the bungalow’s daughters, Passivhaus, it makes the decisions for
during climate-change protests footprint — enough to fit four bedrooms Eleanor and you,” says Rory Harmer, partner at
in central London last week — spending and two bathrooms in the vaulted roof. Isabelle, at their Tate Harmer sustainable architects.
the night in a police station after blocking As the 16-month build began, the Passivhaus in “Do you spend £10,000 on the kitchen
Parliament Square. She is also one of a couple and their daughters — then aged Hertfordshire, or the U-value of the walls? You need
select band of eco-builders (fewer than three and one — moved into a yurt and complete with a level of safety to all components to
1,500) who own a Passivhaus: a home that static caravan on site. “One morning, even hot tub, below, pass the test.”
meets the highest global standard for the caravan door was frozen. Winter was and Merlin-the- The whole hog adds 5%-12% to the
energy efficiency. After 10 years hunting horrible, but from March to October we lurcher-proof build cost, estimates Jon Palmer, the
for the perfect plot, two winters living in were outside all the time. The kids sofa covers, left Passivhaus Trust’s policy director.
a yurt on a building site — bathing their became quite wild,” Emily recalls. Having That buys you not only ultra-low fuel
two youngsters in an outdoor hot tub — dreamt of getting a wood-fired hot tub at bills, but also great comfort. He adds:
she and her husband, Alex Paul, have a the end, they thought they would “I moved into a Passivhaus last year.
plaque to prove their Hertfordshire “definitely have spent all the money” by My family would never move back to
home’s credentials. then. “So that was the first thing we got. our old home. The fresh air, the
“We wanted to do an eco-house, While we lived in the camp, the girls got constant temperature, the
because we’re worried about the climate bathed in a hot tub. It was great.” environment is fantastic.”
crisis,” says Emily, 41. She and Alex On a botanist’s advice, they let the
“wanted to make sure our family’s meadow behind the house run wild, too, Involve a Passivhaus adviser early
negative impact on the environment was with “conservative management” of the — they will tell you where to spend your
as little as possible”. already diverse grasses and flowers. “It money. “The house’s orientation makes
At the last annual scarecrow festival in grows up waist deep, then you cut it for a big difference,” says Akta Raja,
their village of Flamstead, near St Albans, hay around August. We don’t fertilise it founder of Enhabit, a sustainable
the family’s minimalist timber home drew and don’t use weedkillers or insecticide. along the overhanging gallery connect the buildings consultancy.
as much attention as neighbours’ replicas It’s turning back into a natural meadow — two floors. “Even if it’s a miserable day,
of Mary Berry and Boris Johnson, Emily intensive farming hasn’t left many.” On its you get so much light, you feel like you’ve Think about the structure and how
says. “We put out a board saying, ‘Yes, it’s edges, they planted 1,700 young trees. been outside,” Emily says. it will stay up, then consider where it
a Passivhaus,’ and explained what it was.” That view now greets you through the To protect it from Merlin, the family offers clear passage for heat loss from
With the most exacting standard for glazing of Kintyre’s double-height living lurcher with a penchant for rollicking in inside to outside. Designers often
sustainable homes, Passivhauses are all space. Light pours down through the up- the meadow, the L-shaped sofa was initially assume this “thermal bridging”
about saving energy, not generating it. and-over roof light, and glass balustrades reupholstered in a turquoise commercial value and later find there is more of it —
They need about 90% less fuel to heat fabric. “We got mud and plonked it on forcing the owners to add insulation to
than an average existing home — and 50% samples then tried to wash them off,” Alex make up the shortfall, or miss out on
less than many so-called eco-homes. They
must also be 15 times more airtight than a HOW TO FIND LAND Scour land listing agencies such
as plotfinder.net, plotbrowser.com
Ignore current plans For outline
consent, developers usually apply
says. The Belfast Aquaclean range won
hands down (sunburydesign.com).
certification. At larch-clad Kintyre,
Etude consultancy designed a split
standard build. Originating in Germany, and plotsearch.co.uk. Rightmove for the least controversial option. A Off the living space is a playroom plus timber frame to limit heat loss through
the first Passivhaus was certified in Britain Look for a run-down house or a and Zoopla also list plots. “But by the good architect who has worked in a study with an ensuite, where Emily’s the structure (passivhaus.etude.uk).
10 years ago; more than 1,100 followed. small house on a large plot to knock time they get to the big portals, lots the council area can often upgrade father can live if needed. “He sold the
“It’s simple technology,” Emily says. down and start over. Such plots are of people will have seen them. You’re that. Likewise, they could help you family home and gave my sister and me Watch out for overshadowing
“It’s insulated really well; the windows are more commonly available than not going to get a bargain,” says Gus overcome the planners’ objections half the money each. We wouldn’t have from building and trees. Likewise,
triple glazed.” Most of the glass is on the empty ones, often via estate Zogolovitch, managing director of to failed applications. been able to build this without him.” consider overheating in summer:
south side, so the sun can warm the agencies, and have mains service the custom-build developer Finishes are natural but robust: you may need a brise-soleil overhang
house. Warmcel recycled-paper insulation and road access in place. Most Unboxed Homes. Brave auctions but beware scams concrete worktops and plywood cabinets above glazing to deflect the sun when
fills the 20in-thick walls, and a foam slab planning policies allow one home to to sell plots that will never get (birkwoodscotland.com). Jolts of fuchsia it sits higher.
beneath the poured concrete floor be replaced by another, typically Check the planning register at consent. Spend £500-£1,000 for a and teal enliven the scheme — inspired by
ensures it feels ambient without any 30% bigger, according to Potton, a the council in your chosen area for solicitor to check the title first. a cloth Emily bought while working in a Spend on the fabric of the building
underfloor heating. Their energy bills are self-build one-stop shop that also recent outline applications that have Sierra Leone children’s hospital that now rather than technology that will date.
“maybe £40 a month”, says Alex, 40, who offers free planning appraisals and not yet been decided. Sites usually Be ready to compromise either hangs above their bed. Alex and Emily sourced their doors and
owns a fence-making business. Unused, courses in finding land. go on sale after approval. If you on where you want to live or what Tucked away in the utility room is the windows from Kneer-Südfenster, and
the £1,000 kitchen radiator — now approach the owners early, you you want to build. You’re unlikely to kit that makes the house work: a roof lights from Fakro. Enhabit has
covered in art by Eleanor, 6, and Isabelle, Study Google Maps in satellite could offer, subject to consent, get consent for an ultra-modern mechanical ventilation and heat recovery airtight triple-glazed sash windows
4 — is “the most expensive notice board and Street View for hidden plots. before it hits the open market. design in a quaint English village. system takes the warmth from outgoing approved for conservation areas. A
known to man”, he jokes. air and adds it to incoming fresh air. A mechanical ventilation and heat
To build Kintyre, as they call the home, thermal store retains heat from the recovery system, such as those by
the couple knocked down a 1960s prefab woodburner to produce hot water, with Zehnder or Brink, is essential for fresh
bungalow on the 10-acre site. “It had an air-source heat pump as a fall-back. air. With ducting, these cost £5,000-
precast concrete walls, about an inch But the cleverest features are hidden in £8,000 for a 1,500 sq ft house. If you’d
thick, that were the same temperature as the walls: to prevent heat loss via “thermal like to add photovoltaic roof panels
outdoors,” Alex recalls. “It was the bridging” from inside to outside, a split and rainwater recycling, but can’t
opposite of living in a Passivhaus — a bit timber frame separates the support afford it with the build, consider laying
like living in a shed,” Emily adds. structure from the larch cladding. Gutters, wires and pipes to add it later.
They bought the plot for £1.15m in 2014. too, are concealed beneath the cladding,
“We were first-time buyers — we looked for creating the house’s clean-cut silhouette. Use a quantity surveyor “It’s like
almost 10 years,” Alex says. “We’d given The wood roof, backed by a rubber having a bulldog on your team,” says
up.” Just before the birth of Isabelle, Emily membrane, cost £30,000 more than Alex, who was initially sceptical but
was unsubscribing from estate agents’ tiles would have. The total project cost? says Costplan saved them tens of
alerts. “I thought we wouldn’t be able to About £800,000. “You can build to thousands of pounds (cpsqs.com).
see stuff any more. Then right down the nearly Passivhaus standards and save,
bottom of one email was this place.” but for me the risk was if you hadn’t spent Get an insulated woodburner or
On the edge of a historic village, in the on the right triple glazing, you’d be having the house will overheat when it blazes.
green belt and with the back door facing dinner with a cold draught on your head,” You can preserve its heat in a thermal
the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Alex says. “Now you have a super-stable store, which, in turn, fuels hot water.
Natural Beauty a few feet away, this is a indoor climate. It’s lovely to be around.”
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