THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Friday, August 9, 2019 |M3
MANSION
To make the most of the coastal light,
glass features heavily. There are floor-to-
ceiling windows at the front and back and a
series of skylights in the roof.
The three-story duplex is a modern coun-
terpoint to the traditional-style, 20th-cen-
tury houses around it. It has sections of
white brick and of Siberian larch cladding,
and twin balconies with glass balustrades.
Although identical from the outside, both
parties arranged the layout and décor of
their home to their own tastes. The Stables’
opted for a “broken plan” ground floor with
sliding doors allowing the kitchen, central
hallway and living room to be used as a sin-
gle large space, or separated.
Mrs. Stables, 48, is an interior designer
and decided to avoid seaside-y clichés in
the décor. She instead went for a calm, neu-
tral scheme. “I didn’t want anything too
twee,” she said.
The kitchen cabinets are a deep navy
blue, with the work top and back splash in
white Carrara marble. The floors are tiled
in a concrete-gray, and the concrete themeBALANCE SHEET
AHomebytheSea
A London family builds their oceanfront dream house on the English Channel
KEY
COSTS
Preliminary work$28,000
Foundations/
groundwork$32,800
Drainage$17,000
Roof/balconies$59,500
Heating, plumbing,
electrics$46,160
Main structure of
house$71,670
Cladding$47,375
Windows, skylights,
glass doors$45,000
Landscaping$47,375
Decoration$21,900
Stairs$23,000
Internal fit out$167,600
TOTAL$607,380
ROB STOTHARD FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (4); JASON LEE (MAP)The Stables family, above from left, Neil,
Suzanne, Oscar, standing, and Jonty, seated.
Their home is on the left side of their
beachfront duplex, left.The home’s kitchen,
left, and one of two
living rooms, below.EnglishEnglishEnglEnglishgish
ChannelChanChanChanCh nelnelnellCAMBERENGLANDCamber Sandsis extended to the
built-in shelv-
ing/seating in
the living
room, which
encases a
wood-burning
stove.
The family
wanted their house
to also be practical. The
utility room has its own
entrance door with an outdoor shower.
“The idea is that you can shower before you
come into the house and then dump your
wet towels before going into the rest of the
house,” said Mrs. Stables.
At 2,700 square feet, the house is spa-
cious enough for a second living room on
the second floor, and there are four bed-
rooms and four bathrooms, enough for the
friends and family that the Stables imag-
ined visiting them when they first dreamed
of a home in Camber.
“Sadly the truth is that both the kids
grew up,” said Mrs. Stables. “They both
have jobs in London and friends that they
want to see and we don’t get down many
weekends.”
They plan to start renting out the house.
Camber is a popular vacation destination,
and with rents of up to $3,000 a week dur-
ing peak season, they think it will fund the
house maintenance.
Mr. Stables, 68, a Lloyds insurance bro-
ker who sold his business in 2016 and is
now retired, intends to spend more time in
Camber in the future. But the couple agree
they are unlikely to abandon life in London
to live there full time.
“I think we are very lucky, and very priv-
ileged, to have the house, but you do get
used to having a certain lifestyle with res-
taurants that open all day, and galleries,
and theaters, and friends,” said Mr. Stables.O
scar Stables returned from his
school outing and told his par-
ents, Suzanne and Neil, they sim-
ply must visit Camber, a village
65 miles south of London. He
was convinced his mother would love its
sand dunes, so like those at her own child-
hood home in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Mr. and Mrs. Stables arranged a trip to
Camber and—just as Oscar, now 17, had pre-
dicted—fell in love with its long sandy
beach and old-fashioned, peaceful charm.
That might have been that, were it not
for a second twist of fate.
Around a year later, friends of
the couple announced they were
moving to Camber full time, and
Mr. and Mrs. Stables, who live in
the Wandsworth neighborhood of
London, became regular visitors.
“We started talking about how
nice it would be to have a bolt-hole
down here, and got to where I was starting to put notes through
peoples’ letter boxes asking if they were interested in selling their
houses,” said Mrs. Stables.
In 2015, the couple found a small and dated bungalow tucked be-
hind Camber’s sand dunes, a few minutes’ walk from the beach.
Their friends had also spotted the house. Together they concocted a
plan: buy the timber-framed house, demolish it, split the land, and
each build their own house. “One thing led to another, and we put
in a joint bid,” of $425,155, said Mr. Stables.
Their plan swiftly collapsed, however, when they applied for
building permits. The local council wouldn’t allow two detached
houses to be built on the site. They needed a Plan B.
Their architect, Rob Pollard of RX Architects, proposed a duplex.
The council approved the plan. Work started in October 2017.
The $607,400 building project, for their half of the duplex (in ad-
dition to roughly $212,600 for their share of the land purchase) ran
smoothly if not quickly. By early 2017, the Stables family, including
youngest son Jonty, 15, and springer spaniel Flo, started using the
home on weekends and school holidays.BYRUTHBLOOMFIELD$212,600
Cost for^1 / 2 of the land
for the duplexbeds: 6102 Surfsong RdPRICE:$2,995,000When you’re not wandering here, your mind will.
KIAWAH GETS YOU
Prices and availability are subject to change. Square footage and acreage is approximate. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.kiawahisland.com | 866.312.178045 Kiawah Island Club DrPRICE:$3,250,00029 Marsh Cottage Lnview:Creek sq ft:2,560PRICE:$1,199,000
beds: 3115 Halona Lnview:Marsh sq ft:2,780PRICE:$2,350,000
beds: 4 acreage.65162FlywayDrview:OceanPRICE:$2,750,000216GlenAbbeyPRICE:$2,099,000view:Golf beds: 4 sq ft:3,825KiawahIslandinvokesafeelingyoucan’tquitedescribeyetneverwanttoletgo.WhenyoufallforKiawah,youfallhard.
542BuffleheadDrview:Golf sq ft:3,686PRICE:$2,775,000
beds: 4428SweetspireLnPRICE:$2,450,000
view:Park beds: 4 sq ft:3,270view:Ocean beds:^5 sq ft:3,960view:Golf sq ft:5,400