The Sunday Times June 5, 2022 9the main bathroom, a dressing
room and study.
Bespoke oak joinery has
been used to link the interior
spaces with the woodland
setting. An oak and metal
staircase sits in the centre of
the home, with upright oak
fins along one side, reinforcing
the verticality of the mature
trees surrounding the house.
Laminated birch-ply joinery
was designed for the library/
snug room, including full-
height bookcases, a bench seat
and a drinks cabinet.
Reflecting on the project,
Jan admits they could have
spent less. “From what we’ve
learnt I think we could now
build this house for maybe
15-20 per cent less,” he says.
“However, the running costs
are a third of those of our
former property, which dated
from the 1670s.
“We especially love our
open-plan kitchen/diner/snug
on the elevated entrance
level,” he says. “There’s so
much light and space because
of the double-height ceiling,
and a beautiful view through
the splayed bay window.”Build It Live returns to Bicester
Heritage on June 11 and 12. The
standard price is £12. Children
under 16 go free with an adult;
for tickets see builditlive.co.ukThompsons’ house was
granted planning permission,
made weekly site visits.
“I worked through the more
complex details with the
builders to make sure that
everything was being built in
accordance with our drawings
and details,” he says.
The finished property,
the Long House, consists
of hemp-lime timber frame
panels filled with hempcrete,
clad in cedar with a render
and a feature dry stone wall.
“I incorporated key standards
of the Passivhaus principle,
including a superinsulated
and airtight building envelope
along with huge triple-glazed
windows and doors,” Hayward
says. “There’s mechanical
ventilation with heat recovery,
while an external air source
heat pump provides hot water
to showers, baths and taps,
but also feeds a network of
underfloor heating pipes
across all storeys.”
The dwelling has an upside-
down layout to make the
most of the views. The ground
floor, which is partly sunken,
has three guest bedrooms, a
utility and plant room, gym/
conservatory and garage.
Upstairs is the master
bedroom, open-plan kitchen/
diner/sitting area and a
lounge. The top floor hoststo another company, which
did not get to site until
October,” Jan says.
Early on he asked a cost
consultant for a financial
prediction, and they then
changed their plans regarding
project management. “We
decided to oversee things
ourselves,” Jan says. Diana’s
brother, Jeremy Ratcliff, works
as a building contractor and
stepped in to help out. “He
moved in and was on the case
for even the smallest detail,
preventing fundamental
errors like the incorrect use
of polythene sheeting for a
membrane that needed to
be breathable,” Jan says.
Rob Statham, who had
just joined Hayward Smart
Architects when theElements Cost m² Cost % Total cost
Access road and parking £110 4% £40,000
Groundworks £304 9% £110,000
Superstructure (walls, floor, roof) £1,105 34% £400,000
Zinc roof £124 4% £45,000
Floors, walls, ceiling finishes £138 5% £50,000
Joinery £207 6% £75,000
Plumbing £110 4% £40,000
Electrics £207 6% £75,000
Heating £124 4% £45,000
Kitchen and bathroom £166 5% £60,000
Lift £44 1% £16,000
Metal staircase £70 2% £25,000
Landscaping £167 5% £60,000
Decorating £28 <1% £10,000
Fees (including surveys) £345 11% £125,000
Grand total £1,176,000
Note: The costs reflect the prices for materials, labour and services at
the time the project was undertaken. As a general guide, inflation in
the construction market runs at about 3-4 per cent per annumBUILD COST BREAKDOWN
The Long House
in Oxfordshire.
Right: Diana and
Jan Thompson
in the kitchen