smartphone location.
“However, a smart heating
system is only worth having if
you can retain full control
when the internet drops out on
the coldest day of the year,”
says Sam Jump, product
manager at Wunda Group, the
manufacturer of the
WundaSmart heating system.
WundaSmart, for example,
stores all of a home’s settings
in a central hub, so if the wi-fi
goes down it can be controlled
through your local area
network (LAN). Typically a fullWundaSmart system for a
more modest house with eight
radiators and thermostats
costs £729.4
Smart water It was only
a matter of time before
self-build attention
turned to water, which
can’t be taken for granted in a
climate-changing world.
Savvy self-builders are fitting
technology such as ultrasonic
smart leak detection systems
to spot leaks and keep control
of metered bills. Rehau’s
Re.Guard system costs about
£880 for the smart water
controller, hub and water
sensor, plus fitting.
Most self-builders choose
water-conserving
sanitaryware, showers and
taps. Hot water taps such as
the Grohe Red, at about
£1,000, save energy because
they deliver only the boilingwater you need, rather than a
kettleful. Energy-saving
showers such as the Methven
range, from £987 for a full
system, optimise water flow so
less is needed.
Obviously the less hot water
you need, the less energy is
required. However, unless you
opt for an all-electric or even
a hydrogen-powered build,
water will be used — typically
with an air source or ground
source heat pump — to
provide a heating and hot
water system.5
Battery storage Here’s a
new acronym for you: Bess
(battery energy storage
system). A Bess captures
energy from whatever power
sources it’s attached to,
including the electricity grid
(possible if your domestic heat
pump produces an excess),
solar and wind. It’s not rocketscience; if self-builders are to
lead the way in switching to
energy conservation and clean
energy, the means to store it
must become accessible.
“Using a Bess combined
with renewable technology
such as solar means that
excess clean energy can be
stored as electricity to provide
space heating, hot water and
power for every socket and
appliance in the home,” says
Carlton Cummins, chief
technical officer and co-
founder of the Bess
manufacturer Aceleron.
An Aceleron system costs
approximately £8,000 and
installation is about £500. It is
exempt from VAT when
installed with solar power.
Tesla is another Bess
manufacturer; the Tesla
Powerwall starts from
£7,400, excluding VAT and
including installation.Large glazed
gable ends
and effective
insulation can
help to keep
energy costs
downRATION GAP
The Sunday Times April 24, 2022 13this space is a suite for the grandparents,
who also have their own private patio and
garden area, and a guest room; at the
opposite end is a study, utility room and
shower room for the kids to clean off sand
from the beach. Upstairs are the nuclear
family’s four bedrooms — the Browns
have three teenagers, aged 16, 15
and 13 — as well as three
bathrooms and a second
living room with a balcony
overlooking the sea, for
when the generations
want to give each
other space.
“I’ve got a brother
who has three
children, and we’ve
got three children,”
explains Louisa,
who says the house
can sleep 16 in total,
so that “you can have
several generations in
one place at Christmas or
Easter or summer, and not
be on top of each other”.
“As Louisa’s parents get older,
[because they are] on the ground
floor, nothing has to change,” says Ben, 51.
“They’ve got their own suite. That part of
the house can be annexed off. When
they’re downstairs we can be upstairs,
and they have their own little outside area
that gives them a degree of privacy.”
Having two living rooms, and two TVs,
is also essential to maintain the peace in
the family, Ben says. “If you’re together
for any length of time, you’re not all going
to want to spend every minute together.
Our son watches an awful lot of sport and
karate videos, and the girls are not
interested whatsoever. But we do have
things we watch together as a family. Once
you make everyone do it, they love it.”
The decor is simple and uncluttered,
with porcelain tiles downstairs, oak floors
upstairs. They rent it out for several
weeks a year when they are not there,
from £2,750 a week, although the
grandparents’ suite is closed off.
Glass sliding doors open on both sides
of the family room for indoor/outdoor
living, creating a cross-breeze in the
summer. The solar-control glass also
reduces heat. The building’s muted
colours — pale white bricks and larch
cladding — were an attempt to blend
with the shingle and sand, according
to the architect Al Scott.So what does a summer day look like?
“The children swim two or three times a
day,” Louisa says. “My son will go into the
Meare with friends on a kayak or rowboat.
At home they have to get in the car to go
anywhere. Here we’ve all got bikes. They
can cycle into Aldeburgh for pizza or fish
and chips with their friends.”
“The young ones cycle around all day
and all night,” Ben adds. “They’re like a
swarm, picking up friends as they go. At
times there are 15 or 20 of them cycling
around together. It’s a safe way to gain
independence. It’s a time warp sort of
place. It’s slightly insulated from the
troubles of the world.”
The grown-ups might start with a cup
of tea on the balcony watching sunrise.
“I try to swim once a day,” Louisa says.
“There’s a country club where you can
play tennis, or we might walk to
Aldeburgh. It’s sometimes nice to have
peace and quiet, not see anyone, read a
book, do the things you can’t do at home.”
Indeed, Heath House is a stark contrast
to their Victorian farmhouse near
Burnham Market, and the mock-Tudor
houses in Thorpeness. “We wanted
something different and the planners
wanted that too,” says Ben, who says the
budget for the build was roughly what
they paid for the original house. “Had we
gone for something traditional we
wouldn’t have got permission.”
Many crave their own holiday home,
but why was a multigenerational one a
priority? “We do see each other where we
live, but we don’t spend quality time
together there,” Louisa says. “When we’re
down here we spend a lot more time at the
dining room table together, there’s a lot
more chat, because you’re in holiday
mode. My son and father play a lot of chess
together, go for walks together, probably
something they wouldn’t do at home.”
“It’s just lovely for children to spend
time with grandparents,” Ben adds.
“There’s a lovely moment in time now.
Louisa’s parents are still young at heart
and active, in their early seventies. They
like the house even more than we thought
they would. They’re keen to get down on
their own too.” “They might even use it a
bit more than we do,” Louisa says.
That might be the key to a harmonious
multigenerational holiday home — one
the grandparents can occasionally have
all to themselves.ifdo.co; aldeburghcoastalcottages.co.uk