Build It Award-Winning Arts & Crafts-Style Oak Frame Home in the Devonshire Countryside

Finding the right build team

Roderick James Architects project managed the build for Christine and Ceri, handling all aspects of the process, such as planning permission and budgeting. The couple did, however, take their ideas through a pre-application enquiry, which proved successful. “We had a local officer meet us and Luke on site. We showed her the plans, talked them through and walked around the plot,” says Ceri. “The final application sailed through planning,” says Luke.

The living spaces have been arranged around a broken-plan scheme, separated by a central double-hight void

Finding the build team was a series of happy coincidences. “We had a friend in the village who, for over a decade, kept saying to us: when you do your project you must use this company Wallis & Beard. They’re marvellous,” says Ceri. Unfortunately, when it came to the build, the duo had just retired; “we were told we were too late”.

However, it turned out the team hadn’t quite enjoyed their last project and were looking for one last hurrah. “We were caught by surprise then when Luke spoke to us and said “look, we can’t tell you which builders to use, but Peter and Richard from Wallis & Beard are interested and want to talk to you”,” says Ceri. “The team had worked closely with Roderick James Architects on several previous projects. Seeing Luke’s planning drawings for the house, they pointed to it and said, that’s one we’d like to be involved with.”

The central oak frame atrium is a standout feature of the couple’s home, and is the first thing you see when entering the property. A double-height bookcase holds the couple’s extensive library collection, accessed by a sliding ladder

The couple knew they’d struck gold. “After meeting Peter and Richard, Ceri took me aside and whispered to me “do not fall in love with these people, because we may not be able to come to a proper arrangement.” And my immediate response was, it’s too late,” says Christine. “I don’t really believe in fate, but if I did, this is what it would look like. We’re still very close with Peter and Richard.”

The build process

As soon as the plans received the green light, Wallis & Beard began the process of knocking down the bungalow. “You’d have thought a decent sneeze would have brought it down,” says Christine. “But in fact, it was deconstructed very carefully and out of the remains, the builders created a little work shed at the back of the garden.”

The new house is made up of blockwork cavity walls with a stone exterior and structural oak skeleton, all of which sits on concrete foundations. “We spoke to two different oak frame suppliers around a year before the build started and settled on Westwind Oak. They were terrific,” says Ceri. However, not long after breaking ground, lockdown hit, and the couple were only able to attend the site by appointment.

The kitchen-dining-living zone features glazed doors either side, which open up onto a veranda

The couple, who were living in London during the build, travelled down to the site to see the oak frame being raised. “The days the oak frame was going in were just magical. It was so exciting,” says Christine. “We saw the block walls being built, which, of course, was very teasing, but once the frame went in, it started to look like the house we had dreamt of,” says Ceri. “There was a moment where we were standing on the scaffolding with Luke, and he whispered to us with excitement, “all of this came out of our heads” and that’s right,” says Ceri.

“The sky was a deep blue and the frame’s silhouette against it was just spectacular. I don’t need photographs to remember that”

The bespoke bookcases wrap around the outer curve of the U-shaped staircase

Covid did, however, bring some financial struggles. Following the shortage of material supplies throughout the UK, the project’s build costs increased by around a quarter of a million – which is when the scheme hit a red light. “The house was watertight by then. We had the roof on, and the windows were in, but we had run out of money,” says Ceri. The couple were relying on selling their existing home in London to finance the build. However, lockdown slowed down the market and the couple couldn’t sell. “We’d emptied our pensions, we’d sold everything we could sell, but we had nothing left,” he says.

A true sign of the strong relationship the couple had fostered with the build team, Peter and Richard offered to carry on working on the house on the basis they’d be paid later. “We told them we just could not do that, and we waited it out until finally we got a buyer for our London house,” says Ceri. Once it was sold, the couple moved in with Ceri’s father in London and they were able to resume the self build. Seven months later, their oak home was ready to move into.

Closer look The bespoke bookcase doors

At the heart of the home is the couple’s extensive collection of books, beautifully framed by oak posts in a central double-height library and accessed by ladder. Luke Sutton, the project architect, collaborated closely with Christine and Ceri to develop a scheme to incorporate the collection into the wider layout and interior design – landing on the idea of bookcase doors, alongside bespoke shelving running the outer curve of the U-shaped staircase.

There are three fully operating bookcase doors, each weighing two thirds of a ton, with bespoke engineered hinges imported from the Netherlands. “They work so smoothly you can open them with one finger,” says Ceri. One door leads to Ceri’s studio on the first floor, with another concealing the couple’s platform lift in the hallway and snug areas. The books can be seen from all angles, creating a spectacular feel and a home that’s true to the owners’ passions.

Finishing the futureproof, forever home

The couple are delighted with their new house. The upside-down scheme has two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the ground floor, alongside a plant room and Christine’s office. On the first floor, a central, double-height kitchen-dining-living area is framed by four oak posts which rise from the foundations, through the ceiling, and join up with the overhead oak beams and outdoor balcony, creating a remarkable interior focal feature.  Light filters down through a bespoke lantern overhead. “When I come upstairs in the morning and make a cup of tea, I go out onto the veranda and just listen to the birds,” says Christine.

“We’re at eye level with the trees, and the ground floats away below me – it’s just spectacular”

The oak has weathered over time, adding character to the home’s facade

Christine and Ceri had a very specific layout in mind for the house, which Ceri had detailed in his model right down to the cushion placement on the beds. “We’d imagined this central area, surrounded by bookcase walls and overlooked by a first-floor gallery walkway,” he says. Luke, however, suggested expanding the plans to encompass a two-storey bookcase, complete with a rolling library ladder and bookcase doors, concealing access to a platform lift. “They are proper, fully functioning bookcases, with specially crafted hinges to carry the weight,” says Ceri.

“My favourite houses tell you something about the homeowners. I wanted the design to convey Christine and Ceri’s joy and optimism, and to celebrate their passions,” says Luke. “Books therefore had to be at the heart of the home’s design. The roof lantern over the central void draws the eye upwards through the oak frame as if looking up through a tree canopy. The bookcase doors and the library ladder add to the fun and curiosity of the overall scheme.”

The couple are delighted with their bespoke, forever home

Sustainable heating solutions were important to the couple. An air source heat pump powers the underfloor heating (UFH) and hot water supply, which is supplemented with an immersion heater. “We’ve also got two woodburners – one in the living room and one in the downstairs library. We assumed these would be largely decorative, but we use them more than expected,” says Ceri. “Due to the floor build-up, the underfloor heating unfortunately takes a long time to get up to temperature.” A mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system provides the efficient home with fresh, clean air.

The house also benefits from solar power and a 13.5kWh battery storage system. “The couple had enough garden space, so opted for a ground-mounted 7.1kW solar PV array. This is fixed onto a Cornish Rocker system – an adjustable frame, which can be tilted throughout the year to maximise its yield,” says Luke. Alongside the platform lift, integrated smart home features work in tandem with the MVHR system, CCTV and domestic battery – which sends a notification once it’s fully charged. The house scored 99% (A) in its EPC rating.

We learned

• Budget more contingency than you think you need. We’d recommend around 25%. We were in a tricky position when we ran out of money. Our financial planning would have worked out if it hadn’t been for Covid, but nobody can predict something like that.
• If you can, get a professional project manager. Unless you are confident in your skills and have previous experience, we’d recommend getting the help of a professional PM, especially if you’re not able to access the site very frequently.
• Ensure you have a strong relationship with your design and build team. You need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly. A good designer and builder will see the self build as a collaborative process, which will help you enjoy all the stages.