Oak Frame and SIPs Barn Style Home in Somerset

Beginning the Self Build Project

When the team started to lay the foundations, dry weather and stiff clay meant they didn’t have to dig as deep as expected, aiding the early stages of the build. The green oak frame took just one day to install. It provided the central structure for the main house, while blockwork was used for the one-and-a-half storey part of the building (housing the entrance and garage, with room over).

The frame was wrapped with SIPs (structural insulated panels) to create an energy efficient structure, helped by high quality and thermally efficient windows and doors. “We chose the oak frame to give interest to the building,” says Tony. “The SIPs were used for accuracy, speed of construction and insulation.”

Learn More: How to Get the Best out of Building with SIPs

Upstairs, the living area benefits from more glazed doors and a spacious balcony

Every self build project experiences challenges. For Tony and Jo it was ensuring accuracy was spot-on during each stage of the build. “The oak frame, by its nature, is irregular,” says Tony. “This can, therefore, impact the fit of the SIPs, which then affects the fit of the oak gable rafters and sprockets forming the roof overhangs.

In hindsight, more attention in getting the SIPs in the right place would have assisted the installation of the finishing features.”

Connecting the utilities didn’t come easy, either, with the electricity infrastructure looking like it would stretch the budget initially until a solution was found. Arranging a phone line and connecting to the mains sewage caused additional headaches.

The elements posed a further challenge. The main external build was undertaken between October and April, resulting in lack of daylight, cold temperatures and some poor weather. Thankfully, few days were lost and having the oak frame seasoning slowly during the cooler part of the year was an advantage.

Deciding on a structural system for your self build home or extension? Read our guide on the Structural Systems and Building Methods: Which is Best for Your Self Build?

Making the Barn Style House a Home

The Hoggs project managed throughout, supervising the quality and accuracy of the build and purchasing materials. Whenever possible, they sourced products that were either local, traditional or low maintenance.

For the barn-style exterior, they chose handmade bricks, and cladding and balcony decking made from British larch, which doesn’t require protective treatments or painting. It was down to their local builder, Kevin Routley, to source the trades, including labourers, plasterers, chippies, plumbers and electricians.

The bathroom and bedrooms feature vibrant walls, adding to the beautifully eclectic decor

Many reclaimed elements were used in the fit-out, such as antique Chinese and Indian sliding doors, Cambodian and Indian backlit wood carvings, an old wooden harrow suspended above the bar along with floorboards and oak planks used to construct parts of the kitchen and cupboards.

“Attention to detail was very important to us, to the extent of pre-rusted light fittings being attached to the old harrow,” says Tony. “We employed my sister, Charlotte Hogg of the Pretty Painting Company, who’s an artist and decorator, to assist in the selection of suitable colours and to carry out the decorating.”

A suspended woodburner in the living space complements the barn-style dwelling and acts mainly as a focal feature, while an air source heat pump was chosen to power the water-based underfloor heating for comfort, efficiency and lack of visual intrusion.

An MVHR (mechanical ventilation and heat recovery) system helps to flow fresh air through the house. “Last winter, we didn’t need to turn on the underfloor heating in the upstairs living area and bedrooms – we just ran it in the hall and bathrooms,” says Tony, who is very happy with the resulting low energy bills.

Learn More: MVHR – Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery Frequently Asked Questions

The open-plan upstairs benefits from exposed oak trusses, which take centre stage in the beautiful interior

The electrical system was kept simple and functional, while lighting was carefully planned to be striking and different. Equally eye catching is the staircase in the entrance hall. The bespoke design, courtesy of Tony, includes steel which was fabricated and painted locally, glass and fittings purchased online, and solid oak planks supplied by a local timber merchant. “It was self-assembled with winches from the roof steel. The fit was perfect,” says Tony.

All too often the garden is the final element to be considered in a self build project, but the Hoggs were persuaded to make it a priority. “We were advised that this was important from day one if we didn’t want to end up owning a new house with a building site for a garden,” says Tony. “So we employed a landscape gardener to develop a plan and this was completed alongside the house build.”

Completing a Successful Self Build

Tony and Jo were hands on with their project throughout, and their beautiful new home is testimony to their hard work. They are particularly proud of their striking open-plan living/kitchen/dining area, which features high quality Bosch kitchen appliances, including an induction hob with integral extractor, boiling hot tap and waste disposal.

“It looks more like a cafe-bar,” says Jo. “The bar top started life as a pristine copper sheet which we then spent hours distressing with salt, vinegar and ammonia. We wanted to avoid the area looking like a standard kitchen so decided against wall units and used open shelving instead. This helps the whole living area feel like a very social space.”

More Inspiration: Open Plan Living Ideas – Kitchen, Living & Dining Rooms

Reflecting on their project, they don’t have any regrets, but they would – in hindsight – have added solar shading above the upstairs glass balcony doors to prevent excessive solar gain. “It’s very useful in the winter because it heats the room, but not in the summer,” admits Tony. “We’d also have fitted solar panels. At the time of the build, they weren’t economical but that has changed with the dramatically increased energy costs.”

Lessons Learnt for Round Two

Although they are delighted with the result of their contemporary barn-style home, Tony and Jo’s initial build budget of £350,000-£400,000 did get stretched. “We remortgaged our existing house to an interest-only basis to reduce outgoings before taking out a £350,000 self build mortgage,” says Tony. When the house was nearly complete, we sold our original property, which provided the funds to pay off most of our mortgages and to complete the project.”

The final build cost, however, was over budget at £450,000, with Tony and Jo drawing down pension funds and taking out short-term loans to cover the shortfall. “We weren’t able to borrow as much as we needed for the build, despite having plenty of equity, because our earnings weren’t high enough,” says Tony. “This made cashflow difficult on the project.. We’ve learnt that it’s important to have access to additional funds otherwise it can be a very stop-start build.”

Want to get an accurate figure of how much your self build project will cost? Use Build It’s Estimating Service

The open-tread staircase is opposite the front door in the entrance hallway, which works as a link space between the garage and the house. The large planter is a lovely detail that brings further texture, colour and natural elements to the carefully planned decor

Being fully engaged every step of the way has been invaluable as far as the Hoggs are concerned. “We’ve enjoyed being involved with the design and construction to ensure we realised what was envisaged. Building a house is a complicated, involved process needing careful design, planning, management and execution. It’s not to be taken lightly, that’s for sure,” says Tony. “However, it has given us confidence that we can work well as a team and deal with problems that arise.”

Such is their confidence that they’ve already got more self building lined up, as they’ve now submitted outline plans for two more properties on the remainder of their land. “We intend to develop these ourselves,” says Tony. “The next build will be very similar to this one, except slightly larger. We’re then hoping to repeat the process and create our forever home, so watch this space!”

Learn More: 10 Ways to Maximise your Self Build Budget