One couple built a hillside home that perfectly suits their love for the outdoors
WORDS EMMA LEASK PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID BARBOUR
After their planning application for a self-build house was rejected by Cumberland Council, Simon and Fiona Thomas set to some serious out-of-the-box thinking. The couple had been given a 1,400sqm sloping plot of land by Simon’s parents – a site that’s an ideal spot for a family home as it’s on the edge of town and in a semi-rural conservation area.
Attracted by the affordable price tag and 12-week build schedule, Simon and Fiona hired a timber kit house builder to draw up a design, but the plans didn’t meet the local authority’s approval. ‘The conservation officer felt the building looked like a 1970s council house,’ says Simon.
Keen to get the project moving, the couple met with architect Mary Arnold-Forster, who specialises in designing modest homes, some of which are on challenging sites. Project architect Douglas McCorkell immediately set about commissioning a topographical survey from a land surveyor. And after studying the contours of the land, Mary and Douglas built a 3D card model showing how the house relates to the different levels of the slope. Subsequently, their new planning application won over the local authority.
Civil servants Simon, 36, and Fiona, 39, who enjoy fell walking and running, drew up a briefing wishlist including an open-plan living space with kitchen and dining area, a snug/playroom for their daughters, Ruth, four, and Chloe, two, and storage space for their outdoor gear. ‘We didn’t want much of a garden, just somewhere low-maintenance to sit with a glass of wine because we’re always out in the hills or woods,’ Simon explains.
From the glazed front door on the ground floor there’s a view through the house to an outdoor courtyard and the countryside beyond. To the right of the hallway is a guest bedroom, shower room, utility area, storage and the stairwell, beyond which is the living area at the back of the house. The snug is to the left of the entrance. Downstairs, the partly subterranean lower ground floor includes the family bathroom, bedrooms for Ruth and Chloe, as well as Fiona and Simon’s en-suite bedroom, overlooking the land at the back of the house.
The construction started in October 2020, with completion just 16 months later. Good
