Showing how Grand Designers push the boundaries of construction While waiting for the start of a new series this autumn, take a look back at some inspiring homebuilding projects showcasing the obstacles faced and solutions found. All these ambitious self-builds and renovations demonstrate what can happen when there’s a passion to create something exceptional.
1 SLOPING SITE SOLUTION The grassy hillside in rural Derbyshire where ecologist Fred Baker and his wife Saffron built their home in 2017 was so steep that it was unsuitable for cows to graze on. So local farmers quarried out tonnes of limestone to create a level base for a two-storey, three-bedroom earth-shelter house. ‘Constructing an eco-friendly house on a 45-degree slope presented a unique challenge to balance function, performance and aesthetic,’ said architect Matthew Lewis of Arkhi Architects.
‘Solar energy is soaked up by the thermal mass of the building, which retains warmth through the year,’ said Fred. Made of concrete, clad in larch boards and local stone, it looks rooted in the landscape. (arkhi.co.uk)
2 PIONEERING ECO HOME To gain planning permission for a four-bedroom new-build, Helen Seymour-Smith of Seymour-Smith Architects and her husband Chris, who is an architectural designer, built their house beneath an old barn, making it all but invisible to passers-by. The property is in the Cotswolds countryside and, at the time, the regulatory stipulations for rural areas made allowances only for outstanding and groundbreaking designs.
But what made Helen and Chris’s home even more exceptional was its certification as a Passivhaus in 2010 – the first of its kind in England. (seymoursmith.co.uk)
3 ROCK-HEWN HOUSE As far as rarity goes, this cave home – first shown on TV in 2015 – has to be the most singular project ever featured on the show. Angelo Mastropietro bought the abandoned 800-year-old property near the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire after seeing it advertised in a local newspaper supplement.
He tackled most of the renovation and improvement work himself, straightening the walls and lowering the floors by hand, and excavating 70 tonnes of stone. Angelo also dug service channels into the sandstone floors, drilled a borehole and laid cables across his neighbour’s field for power. Interior walls were covered with breathable limewash, and new oak frames fitted into the original openings. ‘It’s a magical place where you can connect with nature,’ said Angelo.
4 RUSTIC BARN CONVERSION Both the exterior and the interior of this three-bedroom home in Essex defy the conventions of a barn conversi
