Selfbuilder & Homemaker – July – August 2019

of the mast and is often filled with cushions.

Much of the furnishings came from the old

house – chairs that belonged to Wendy’s

grandmother sit alongside on-trend mid-20th

century design pieces, and an Ercol sofa. The

vaulted ceiling displays stunning glulam

trusses from which cluster of giant paper

lampshades hang.

“Our favourite structural element is the

exposed truss in the lounge area,” says Jeff.

The vaulted ceiling was Wendy’s idea, the

glulam Andy’s.

A wall art sculpture of fish by Cornwall glass

artist Jo Downs, which was ready long before

the house offers a hint of the coastal position,

alongside a wall-mounted fly fishing rod above

the staircase.

The kitchen is stuffed with modern

appliances – an American fridge freezer with

water dispenser and ice box, electric oven and

Neff gas hob, microwave and two dishwashers,

but it is the striking splashback which is typical of

how the family added their own tastes to the

house that draws the eye. “People either love

them or hate them,” admits Wendy. The designs

are random, and boxes are bought unseen and

filled with potentially 50 or 60 different designs.

Lighting features, including the makeshift

chandelier (created from a reclaimed girder) over

the giant dining table are bold to stand up to

the vaulted ceiling.

Local tradespeople carried out much of the

work on the house. “The only thing that came

from London is the kitchen,” says Wendy.

And their advice to other self builders? Be

prepared, says Jeff. “Rather boringly, we had no

particular surprises, good or bad. We were

well-prepared, had a good team, and had the

money in place before embarking on the

project. The only real disappointment was our

main contractor being let down by two

decorating sub-contractors in August 2018.

That ended up delaying planning consent by

over three months.” 

PLAYFUL
The ground floor includes a
games room with its own
climbing wall

july/august 2019 http://www.sbhonline.co.uk 57