lounge, an alternative to the open living space
below with a large window providing another
great view over the landscape. “We think this is
going to be our winter lounge,” says Sarah. A
frameless glass balustrade sits outside the
lift-and-slide windows as well as behind the
sliding windows to the master bedroom; “you
can barely see it at night,” enthuses Sarah.
COST & CHALLENGES
Achieving cost savings has been a major goal
for Andy and Sarah, and they have used their
contacts in the industry to get products direct
from manufacturers where possible, or simply
contacting companies to find the cheapest price
for the products they want. An example is the
striking grey laminate internal doors which
ended up not costing much more than “bog
standard” doors. They have magnetic black
‘carbon fibre’ handles, completing a modern
look inspired by the couple’s love of Formula 1.
Sarah is proud of their thrifty approach:
“Almost nothing in this house has been bought
at retail price.” She explains further: “We’ve
basically bought on sale or gone to the
manufacturer.” For example, the sofa and rugs
to the living area came from an auction.
A further weapon was their project manager,
who was invaluable in helping to shave
thousands both off the costs of the steel in the
build, and associated concrete foundations,
following Brexit concerns forcing a hike in steel
prices. Sarah says: “There was originally £23,000
of steel in the design holding up the
cantilevers, and protecting the sliding door
against deflection.”
Despite the £300K budget being adhered to
rigorously in most cases, the brickwork went
“massively over,” says Sarah. This has prompted
the couple to think that if they had their time
over, they’d have gone for timber frame
throughout. “We would have got it done much
quicker, while getting the same result from the
point of view of air-tightness.”
Unfortunately their project manager was to fall
ill late last year and was unable to return, leaving
Sarah and Andy to project manage on their own,
over the critical final stages of fixtures and
finishes. “We’ve basically managed it since
Christmas, you learn on the job,” she says
philosophically. Despite the ups and downs,
they’ve achieved a cost of £1,395 per square
metre, which is “not bad at all when you look at
the space, the high ceilings, and the fact we
have a few nice things,” says Sarah.
The sliding doors to the living area were
the ultimate example of this, but were also
probably the most nervewracking challenge.
The glass panels, each weighing a third of a ton,
had to be craned into the back garden from
the adjacent car park, there being no direct
rear access.
Sarah says the installation, despite the help
of a robot, was “very hairy, terrifying”. SheGLASS LIFT
The glass panels for the rear
sliding doors, each weighing a
third of a ton, had to be craned
into the back garden from the
car park next door46www.sbhonline.co.uk september/october 2019