Selfbuilder_and_Homemaker_-_September_-_October_2019

S

ome would shy away from a property

where your next-door neighbours would

be your in-laws, but for Jodie Nesbitt-

Shaw and Mark Shaw, the family connection

was why they chose their house!

The cottage near Sandbach in Cheshire had

originally belonged to Mark’s grandmother,

and sits beside his parents’ home.

Whenever Jodie visited Mark’s grandmother

she always loved the cottage, which while tiny,

had a fairytale air about it. His grandmother

had moved in to the house decades ago with

her husband, and brought up four children

there. Mark’s great-grandfather built the house

next door to her, where his parents now live.

Following Mark’s grandmother’s death,

the cottage was put up for auction, and with an

idea that they could fulfil their dream of

moving to the country, accompanied by some

big plans for the tiny cottage, the couple put in

the winning bid.

From the front, the cottage retains its rural

charm, but it is around the back that the

traditional turns contemporary, where

huge windows flood the extended rear with

sunlight, and offer views over the

ABOVE

The front the cottage retains its

rural charm, but around the

back the traditional turns

contemporary

OPPOSITE

The beautiful wooden dining

table was made by Patsy’s

Place in Liverpool

LOW POINT

Although glazing

dominates the rear

elevation, Cheshire

brick, reclaimed

from parts of the

original cottage,

was used on the

extension

“Finding out that the

foundations needed

redoing, at a cost of

some £10k.”

–Jodie Nesbitt-Shaw & Mark Shaw

While most people undertaking a project will buy an unfamiliar plot or

house, possibly even in an unfamiliar area, a couple in Cheshire took the

opposite approach, building next door to the in-laws

TEXT & IMAGES JULIET DAVIES

FAMILIAL TERRITORY

CASE STUDY

70www.sbhonline.co.uk september/october 2019