Selfbuilder & Homemaker – July – August 2019

A

s a solicitor by profession, Stephen Cirell
took a very methodical approach to
planning his first self-build, and to his
quiet pride it has ended up breaking two
records. It’s not only the first such eco-project in
the Leeds area to be officially registered by the
Germany-based Passivhaus Institute, it’s also the
1,000th Passivhaus unit certified in the UK.
His immediate challenge was to find a plot, so
he started out by drawing up a map with a one
and a half circumference around where he lived
in Roundhay in north Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Eventually, he came across the nearby small
village of Wike, eight miles north of the
city centre.
“It took me 15 months to crack it, so finding
the right plot was high up there on the list of
biggest challenges,” says Stephen, who started
his quest to live in his own Passivhaus in January
2014 and completed his build in March 2017.
“You get a bit disillusioned, all the time you’re
looking at the clock, thinking that time is ticking
on and you haven’t even got started yet.”
In the end, he saw an opportunity advertised

by an estate agent. Another buyer had bought a

large village site, renovating the barn, but

opting to sell 40 per cent of the plot. This

included the original home on the site – Old

Forge Cottage, which was derelict. Part of the

attraction was that the 0.24 acre plot, for

which Stephen paid £400,000, already held a

dwelling, so planning looked as if it would be

An eco-afficionado achieved his dream to create a Passivhaus home in Leeds,

but it had to be traditional in style so wasn’t plain sailing

TEXT JAYNE DOWLE IMAGES THE GREEN BUILDING STORE

GREEN FEATURES

The Green Building Store

supplied the triple-glazed

timber windows and doors

LOW POINT

“I knew I wanted a

Passivhaus, but I

was imagining lots

of angular glass and

big open-plan

spaces, very modern

and contemporary”

CASE STUDY

TRADITIONALLY ECO

“Going through the

planning process. The

local council was

originally difficult to

contact and slow in its

operation. But it got

better when I managed

to engage with the

planning officer.”

–Stephen Cirell

38www.sbhonline.co.uk july/august 2019