The geometric simplicity of this house belies the clever fixtures and fittings within
WORDS HELEN ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY MATT CLAYTON
Buying a rundown 1950s house three doors down from their home gave Jody and Tobin Dunn the motivation to start planning a self-build project. ‘We’d thought about extending our property, but this plot was similar in size and an opportunity to build from scratch,’ says Tobin.
A month after moving in, Tobin and Jody, who are both 43, and have three daughters – Amelie, 12, Eva, nine, and Eliza, seven – hired an architecture practice to design and project manage their self-build. ‘We got on well with a team including David Rieser and Katerina Spetsiou, and thought they’d do something different,’ explains Tobin. Filling out an extensive questionnaire about their likes and dislikes, financial trader Tobin and risk manager Jody’s wish list included an open-plan layout with easy access to the garden. ‘We like modern, boxy houses,’ says Tobin.
The design for a three-storey house with a basement and atrium went to preplanning in June 2018 and planning approval came through in October. The project was funded through the proceeds of their house sale, savings and a mortgage, but to reduce costs, Tobin, Jody and David reworked the plans. They went without the basement and the fully glazed atrium, opting for a top-lit design instead to save on the cost of the glass.
Making the changes and going back to the local authority to get planning permission for the alterations set the project start back by more than two years, with work on site finally getting going in June 2020. With the family moving into a rental home nearby, Tobin went to the site every day to check progress and deal with any queries. Project manager Katerina also visited every two weeks to ensure the build ran smoothly.
After clearing and levelling the plot, a reinforced 150mm concrete slab foundation was poured and the superstructure of timber and concrete blockwork went up. Built on-site, the roof structure is timber and steel, and to reduce heat loss and make the house energy efficient, a combination of phenolic and polyisocyanurate (PIR) board products insulate the roof, floors and walls, plus the windows and doors are double or triple glazed. Opening the atrium rooflight, along with the front and back windows, provides cross ventilation in the summer months.
Thanks to these measures, an air
