Unique Self Build Home on Oxfordshire Infill Plot

Coming Up with the Hidden Design

The two pods are coated in Sto through-coloured render, while the connecting corridor is clad in hit-and-miss Siberian larch. This means that passers-by are unable to see into the house, but the clever cladding installation conceals a window on the front elevation, allowing David and Jenny to see out.

Triple glazed French doors fully open out, encouraging daylight and fresh air into the compact living spaces, and the flat roof is topped with a layer of sedum blanket green roof on one side, and a single-ply membrane system on the other, with PV solar panels producing electricity that is stored in a battery. Light pours into the home from large banks of glazing, along with two rooflights in the kitchen and bathroom.

David and Jenny designed a large storage system of bookcases and cupboards to occupy the entire wall, saving necessary space in
this compact home

Andrew Banks put the project out to tender to three local builders, choosing family-run business Fennell Blake, which has been in operation since 1966, and whom he had worked with before. He knew they were capable of a high standard of timber frame building and they were also the cheapest, which was of course an added bonus.

Beginning the Construction Works

The family of builders worked seamlessly together, ensuring the project’s smooth running despite Covid restrictions and David and Jenny’s absence. “The neighbours enjoyed listening to the builders’ friendly banter. Ours was a happy site,” says David. Graham Fennell owns the business, and his son Chris was site foreman for the duration of the build. The project electrician was Graham’s other son, Geoff, and the team worked hard and cheerfully together.

Getting deliveries to the site could be challenging due to the tight access drive. The windows proved particularly difficult, turning up on a large lorry that had come from Denmark. David and Jenny were back in time to witness the tense moment the enormous high-spec units arrived, wheeled in on a small trolley. “It was extremely stressful, I could barely watch!” says David.

While three bedrooms can’t accommodate the Birds’ four children and their families, they have found a solution that allows them to spend weekends together. “When you retire you can’t live your life for your children,” says Jenny. “We miss having them all to stay, but when they visit we rent rooms in a local hotel and, although it’s not quite the same as them all staying with us, it means we get to spend weekends together sometimes.”

The third bedroom doubles as a snug and a study, as per the couple’s amendment to the initial approved plans. The original design allowed for two bedrooms, but the footprint was generous enough to allow an additional one. “It didn’t really make any sense to limit the internal layout to two bedrooms,” says architect Andrew Banks, “so we designed a third after rearranging the living areas and bedrooms, and this meant that the Birds could get the additional guest accommodation that they desired without any need to increase the overall size of the home.”

Engineered oak floorboards are laid throughout the home, apart from in the bathroom, creating a harmonious, unified appearance that adds warmth to the subtle tones of the decor

Designing a Compact but Clever Home

The limitations of the site dictated the unconventional shape of the building and also allowed the creation of three small gardens, which were fully planned, planted and maintained by David and Jenny. The kitchen area featured particularly tricky angles for the fitters to work with, with the Silestone kitchen worktop needing special joints to make the seams invisible where the angled edges met.

In a home with limited dimensions, innovative space saving ideas were needed. David and Jenny specified pocket doors on some of the living areas and a hinge design for the double pantry cupboard in the kitchen. Here, the double doors can be pushed back into the recesses to both sides of the cabinet, meaning that the pantry can be open while in use, without the doors encroaching into the kitchen workspace.

The small kitchen even accommodates a small island complete with breakfast bar, connecting to the dining area at an angle. The pocket doors in other rooms slide back into the walls, ensuring uncluttered spaces and leaving walkways clear.

Looking to extend your kitchen space? Take a look at these Kitchen Extension Ideas: 20 Inspiring Designs

Flanked by glazed panels on one side and the front door in larch cladding on the other, the hall links the two ‘pods’ and overlooks the dining courtyard

“We often spent our evenings hunting for the perfect fixtures and finishings on the internet. We would have been unable to go to showrooms anyway to see things in person, because they were all closed due to Covid restrictions, so in this sense we were no worse off for being in France,” says Jenny.

Determined to stick to their limited budget, the couple compromised to allow for more desirable items. Jenny designed the kitchen, insisting on a boiling water tap and Silestone worktops, items that David felt were less important. The couple wanted pricey porcelain tiles for the external paving, so selected more affordable wooden floorboards and bathroom tiles to free up the budget.

David and Jenny returned from France in May 2021, moving in before the house was finished. Delays from the pandemic meant the render was unavailable and was not finished until October that year. Nevertheless, the house is a shining example of what can be achieved on a brownfield site with limited space, winning a New Buildings award in the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards 2022. “People often ask if our house has been on Grand Designs, but it was not a risky enough build for that,” says David. “It may not be a grand design as it’s a small house, but it’s certainly a great design.”

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