ECO SELF-BUILD
After four years of hard work and setbacks, Rowan and Ally Adams have made their patch of beautiful Cornish coast greener than ever
HOMEOWNERS Rowan and Ally Adams
LOCATION Carbis Bay, Cornwall
PROJECT Replacement self-build
BUILD ROUTE Subcontractors and DIY
BUILD METHOD Steel and timber frame, with masonry outer leaf
BUILD TIME 2016 – 2021
SIZE240m 2
HOUSE COST £640,000
R owanand Ally Adams didn’t plan to uproot their lives in London and start afresh in west Cornwall, but that’s what happened when Ally started browsing the internet and daydreaming. “I was bored at work, and I looked at this house because of the views,” says Ally, who knows the area from childhood holidays. The property that caught her eye had a superb setting on the coast close to St Ives, with uninterrupted views across the bay. Before they knew it, the couple had made an offer, which was accepted. “It was random and spur of the moment, but we just did it.”
The four-bedroom 1960s house was set within a third of an acre of land. The couple’s plan was to refurbish the house and run it as a B&B – they needed their new lifestyle to provide them with an income. Then they found architect Neil Wall of Studio West Architects who had another suggestion for the rather dated and inefficient home.
Ally: “Neil said, ‘Have you thought about knocking it down?’ We were horrified!” Yet once the couple considered the VAT savings associated with building anew – and the advantages of a property designed exactly for their needs as both a home and a business – they saw the appeal. They also realised this could be an opportunity to live a greener life but also fulfilling their ambition to build their own home – one that was eco-friendly.
MID-CENTURY VISION
“We were so lucky to find Neil – he really got what we wanted to do,” says Rowan. Once they embraced the idea of a self-build project, Rowan and Ally knew they had very clear ideas about the design of their new home, both inside and out.
“I have a passion for the architecture and interiors of the mid-century,” explains Ally. “We wanted stone, wood and black render. That was our brief.”
Work began in earnest with the removal of the 1960s property. “The biggest shock was seeing the old house demolished,” says Ally. “The whole plot looked like a landslide and I felt sick. But our contractors, Taylor Build, were great. They got us out of the ground.” But then things started to go wrong. “I was always going to fit out the interiors,” says Rowan. “But costs were spiralling, so I took over the build, too.” Having some construction experience, Rowan started working on the build with just the steel frame in place on the lower storey. The remaining timber fr
