Super Energy-Efficient Turnkey Home Built on a Serene Garden Plot

From Turnkey to Shell: Shopping around for the right home build

The couple engaged a firm, meeting with one of their trusted architects, Urbancurve, to begin the design. They were quite far into the process when Brexit and Covid hit. “A lot of the German kit companies decided they were no longer able to offer full turnkey homes,” says Peter. “We were originally quoted £1.3 million for turnkey and the company we had chosen said the shell alone would be £1.1 million. £200,000 for us to do everything else just wasn’t enough. That’s when we started shopping around.”

After looking at alternative offsite manufacturers, the couple hired Meisterstueck-Haus. “They offered us a good price and we liked the quality and look of their previous projects,” says Sarah. “We really liked working with Urbancurve, and since the home design was almost finished, we retained them.” Plans for a modern home that made the most of the countryside views emerged. “Our main aim was to build something modern, with plenty of natural light,” says Sarah. “We liked Bauhaus architecture, so originally asked for a rear elevation that was mostly glass, but our architect was smart enough to guide us on the advantages of solar shading.”

The couple had lived in a very traditional house with dozens of rooms and often felt disconnected from one another. “It was important for our new home to have a better connection between rooms,” says Peter. “We didn’t want to go fully open-plan, so we chose a broken-plan layout with some self-contained spaces.”

Clad in a mix of render and spruce cladding, the property benefits from thermally efficient windows, fitted with external shutters on the south-facing side, to avoid overheating during the summer months

The project was submitted to the planners, but was quickly rejected. “It was during Covid, so we were assigned a planning officer who didn’t live in Norfolk,” says Peter. “They never even visited the site.” The application was rejected due to the couple’s proposed plot. “The village has a set development area and the patch of land chosen was partially outside this boundary. Once we selected a plot within the village development area, our former vegetable patch, the planners had no reason to reject us.”

Getting going installing foundations and insulation

The challenge was, there was no access road. Peter and Sarah were told they had to create a long, U-shaped driveway for highway visibility. So, these works were undertaken as a priority. “It was a big and expensive job,” says Sarah. “It probably cost us £35,000.” While the road was being built, the couple ordered their timber frame kit.

The next step was preparing the site and installing foundations ready for the structural frame’s arrival. Urbancurve supplied an experienced project manager, who focused on the day-to-day running of the site. However, Peter and Sarah took a hands-on role, hiring their individual contractors, managing them and sourcing materials. “We hired a local contractor to construct the raft foundations,” says Peter. “The soil here is very sandy, so we needed to install a full mesh reinforced steel base, with a concrete slab.”

The construction system provides the house with exceptional levels of insulation, fire prevention, damp-proofing and soundproofing

Insulation was added on top and then, together with their daughter, Peter and Sarah laid a damp proof membrane, ready for the installation of the timber frame. “Meisterstueck-Haus sent an engineer to check that the foundations were accurate, then they erected the kit.” The home’s insulated panels were craned into place and in the space of a few hours, the ground floor was finished. “I took the day off work, sat in a garden chair and watched the house coming together before my eyes,” says Peter. “That was a real highlight.”

The original plan was for the couple to stay in their Georgian home until their new residence was finished, but it didn’t quite work out. “We had to sell early to fund the project,” says Sarah says. “We moved into rented accommodation, but for a very short period of time. We were walking around upstairs in a watertight, airtight house on day four of the build.”

In less than a week, the property had internal Fermacell walls, windows, doors and a finished roof. Sarah and Peter hired general contractors for the final fix works, but also completed plenty of jobs themselves. “We carried out messy sanding tasks, plastered the walls ready for the decorators and even prepared and installed the stair treads, which were supplied unfinished,” says Sarah. “We stained and waxed them all to match the internal flooring. I also took on the role of interior designer.”

The finished self-build and forever home

In 10 months, the couple’s new home was complete. Set at the end of a dramatic resin-bound driveway, the property blends an external palette of render and spruce timber cladding. The rear of the house is contemporary and bold, with plenty of glass and balconies that make the most of the idyllic surrounding views.

The master bedroom balcony is a relaxing spot to sit and enjoy the far-reaching views

The front door leads into a spacious double-height hallway and flows through to the open-plan living area, which features the kitchen, dining room and lounge. The ground floor is also home to a gym, utility room, boot room and snug. The bespoke staircase leads up to the first floor, where three bedrooms (two of them ensuite), a family bathroom and an office can be found.

The Next125 kitchen benefits from light grey Beton Grau units, a Calatorao island and a Beton Silk worktop, both by Neolith

Creating an energy-efficient home was important to Peter and Sarah and, thanks to the property’s highly insulated timber frame, the building achieved an EPC A rating of 103. “We have solar panels, a heat pump, underfloor heating and an MVHR system with ComfoClime, which is like air-conditioning and takes the internal temperature down during summer,” says Sarah. “We also have battery storage for our energy and two EV chargers, too. We rarely need to turn the heating on.”

For the Fords, the most rewarding part was watching their home take shape. “We visited the site throughout the process and there was always something new to see,” says Peter. “I remember sitting on our new patio, popping a champagne bottle on a late summer evening. We had that sense of ‘we’ve done it’.” As for their favourite space, the couple love their hallway. “The double-height space with a vaulted ceiling, has a cathedral-like quality with a glass balustrade on the landing upstairs. It’s got real wow factor,” says Sarah.

The entrance hall provides the perfect welcome, thanks to the bespoke brushed stainless steel, glass and timber staircase, Aksent wall cladding by Norstone and Bottega Acero floor tiles by Porcelanosa

Aside from having a trade go AWOL in the middle of the job, the couple found the process of building their own home incredibly enjoyable and stress-free. “We’ve seen all the TV shows and there’s always drama, but we didn’t experience that,” says Sarah. “We had an amazing team of trades and Ashwell Construction and Renovation were brilliant. They really rallied around us when issues arose and made the process very smooth.” The couple puts the success of the project down to not setting unrealistic expectations and deadlines. “We just thought, we’ll move in when the house is finished. We’d do it again in a heartbeat, but I don’t think we’ll need to, as we’ve created our forever home.”