Contemporary and Energy Efficient Rebuild in Gloucestershire

Planning and Project Managing the Rebuild

Being quite risk averse people, Suzie and Sam decided to pay for a ground condition survey before demolition and planning. The investigation team bored a series of 8m-deep holes around the plot, which revealed that standard foundations would suffice.

“The only hiccup was that the tree officer missed our neighbour’s protected tree, positioned close to the boundary – I called the office to check as I knew we’d be digging close to the roots,” says Suzie. “Fortunately we didn’t need to put any protective fencing in.”

Getting planning permission was straightforward, however, there was a five-month delay to enable a bat survey. The couple had to wait until May for this – and it turned out there were in fact no bats.

Learn More: Planning Applications: What Do Council Planners Want?

The staircase from PM Large Joinery is a focal feature at the heart of the large entrance hallway, with a sleek herringbone floor that leads down to the kitchen-diner

Suzie decided to take on the role of project manager, with Jonathan involved ad-hoc when there were issues to be resolved. “There was a lot to learn on the job, especially with moving utilities and calculating where they would go to prepare for demolition,” says Suzie.

The old house came down in less than a week and, with everything clear, the beautiful views over the valley could finally be appreciated.

Deciding on a Fabric First Design

Suzie and Sam wanted to aim for a super insulated and airtight building to create their comfortable and energy efficient home.

The couple have installed a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system that works to bring fresh air into the home. “We looked into air source heat pumps and solar thermal panels, but we ultimately went for a gas heating system, mostly to fit everything into our budget,” says Suzie.

“We’ve got a plant room at the back of the house so that we can add renewable tech easily in the future.”

Read More: Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery Systems Explained

The landing features a striking picture window, with rooflight above that opens automatically if the house goes above a certain temperature

The property was built using a cavity wall construction method, comprising masonry blockwork, rigid insulation boards and an airtight membrane. “So much insulation was specified for the project that the builders thought we had made a mistake,” says Suzie. “We had to explain that it was what was needed.”

Even though they used a Passivhaus model for the property’s design, Suzie and Sam weren’t fussed about going for certification. “Our walls are about three times the thickness you’d expect in a standard build, but it’s created a very comfortable home with low U-values,” she adds.

“The temperature in the house is amazing considering there were some hot days in the summer. We have a little rooflight at the top of the stairs for ventilation which automatically opens if it hits 24 degrees to let hot air out.”

More Inspiration: 10 Highly Efficient UK Passivhaus Homes

Creating a Spacious and Family Friendly Home

The finished property is designed to look like an extended house. Downstairs, the main part of the building features an entrance hall, sitting room, utility, plant room, WC and spare bedroom.

“I love the entrance hallway because it’s really big – it’s great to come in and welcome people without feeling cramped,” says Suzie.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms (one ensuite) and a family bathroom. The landing has an eye-catching feature window, which protrudes out from the property and works to pour light into the hallway.

The snug leads off from the open-plan space and is a great place for the kids to hang out, with its feature disco ball

The downstairs ‘extension’ has a large open-plan kitchen-dining-living space. There’s also a snug, which is perfectly positioned for the children to play in when adults are preparing meals. The disco ball adds an element of fun for the kids, too.

Wrapped around the open-plan space is a timber veranda. This was designed to help the house stay cool at the height of summer (by keeping the sun out of the living spaces) and warm in the winter (when the sun is lower in the sky).

“We calculated how deep the veranda should be to provide enough shading on the big windows downstairs,” says Suzie. The timber structure is in keeping with the main scheme and could be painted or left to weather.

The cladding is untreated half lap Siberian larch from Vastern Timber. “The plank widths we used allowed us to control the detailing on the corners,” says Suzie. “As with so many things, the effectiveness was down to the quality of the construction – done badly the lines would have been off.”

Adding the Finishing Touches to the Rebuild Project

“This project was a long time in the planning, so over the years of saving images I started to understand the overall themes and styles that I liked,” says Suzie.

“Initially I wasn’t confident I could decorate an entire house and thought we’d have an interior designer. But as we went through the process, I realised that we know what we like. The living room was one of the spaces where I decided on the look early on. The rest of the house feels deliberately bright and fresh whereas this space is cosy, with its dark colour.”

The separate sitting room has dark, cosy tones, establishing a deliberately different feel to the bright and fresh decor elsewhere

Suzie and Sam loved the process and result of creating a bespoke home. “Building from scratch was the best thing that we could have done and I would love to do it again in the future,” says Suzie.

Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at this Modern and Energy Efficient Timber Frame Self Build in Aberdeenshire