Building a low-energy home on a slope became something of an uphill struggle
WORDS JAYNE DOWLE PHOTOGRAPHY BILLY BOLTON
When it became clear that the work needed to renovate their 1950s bungalow would be extensive, Sophie, 32, and Nic Mogford-Revess, 36, felt the most sensible and cost-effective course of action would be to demolish and rebuild. Overlooking the Bourne Valley in Surrey, the house was all they could afford in the area when they bought it in 2016. ‘We were limited to properties in extremely poor condition,’ says Nic.
They spent some time drawing up a brief for their new home before ironing out the details with architect Will Dewar. ‘It was funny how we came to meet Will,’ says Nic. ‘By chance Sophie met Will’s wife Laura, who said they’d looked at buying the bungalow too. They’d had lots of plans for the place, so we thought we better have a chat.’
Sophie and Nic, who are directors of a company supplying fire and signalling systems to businesses, appreciated the architect’s input into their brief. ‘Will added interesting elements such as a window in the shower room that looks out onto a small courtyard garden,’ says Nic.
As the couple liked the bungalow’s dual-aspect windows, which captured expansive views of the countryside and let in lots of light, Will included plenty of triple glazing on the ground floor, supplemented by rooflights. He also devised a standalone studio reached by a short, glazed corridor that has a picture window overlooking the valley. The house runs mainly on renewable energy generation, including an air-source heat pump that supplies a wet underfloor heating system on the ground floor and radiators upstairs. On the roof of the house, 2.83kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) panels generate electricity that is stored in a solar battery, and the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system recovers warmth from the indoor air.
Planning permission for the new house came through in 2019 without any objections, but there were eight exacting pre-occupation conditions that had to be met – including an arboriculture report and a check on the chosen materials – each one incurring a fee when it was discharged. ‘There were a few conditions that I thought were unnecessary, such as the traffic management report for a private gravel road,’ says Nic. ‘Another one that really got to us was a full-site planting scheme, including the back garden, which stayed pr
