Design for life. Set back from the road in a pretty Oxfordshire village,

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1 readers homes 1 Design for life Mike and Shirley Collen loved the bungalow they d lived in for over 20 years but it wasn t structurally stable. With the help of an innovative architect, they ve rebuilt a sturdy home that will last a lifetime WORDS ANNA-MARIE DESOUZA PHOTOS MATT JOHNSTON Set back from the road in a pretty Oxfordshire village, Shirley and Mike Collen s new home makes a stunning architectural statement. In fact, so impressive is the artistic structure, that it helped the designer Opinder Liddar from lapd architects win the Best Self Build Architect accolade at the 2012 Build It Awards. The judges were impressed with the project for numerous reasons. Not only does the home suit its surroundings perfectly, but the contemporary style has given the Collens an elegant home that s practical, sustainable and built to meet their budget.

2 2 readers homes readers homes 3 THE COLLEN FILE NAMES Mike & Shirley Collen OCCUPATIONS Retired & sculptor LOCATION Warborough, Oxfordshire TYPE OF BUILD Self build STYLE Contemporary CONSTRUCTION METHOD Stone & block, part steel frame PLOT SIZE 0.44 hectares HOUSE SIZE 381m² (4,101ft²) LAND COST 150,000 in 1984 BUILD COST 631,000 COST PER M 2 1,656 ( 154 per ft²) TOTAL COST 781,000 BUILDING WORK COMMENCED May 2009 BUILDING WORK TOOK 64 weeks CURRENT VALUE 2,000,000 The couple bought the plot over 20 years ago and lived there happily with their children in a large bungalow. Over the years it had been extended and modernised, but serious problems started to emerge. The site is almost entirely clay, and there are two large willows in the back garden. Unfortunately the soil type lead to subsidence issues and we had to have the property underpinned twice, says Shirley. Basically, the bungalow was not stable, and there was nothing further we could do to rectify this. We knew we would have to knock it down and build a new home. The plot is in such a fantastic area we love the village and the surrounding countryside that we really didn t want to leave it. A new aesthetic The couple had always wanted to create their own home, so the thought of self building was an exciting prospect. Initially they considered purchasing a kit home from the likes of Huf Haus, but after an investigation into layouts and a cost analysis they decided Opposite page: The grey kitchen units together with the stainless steel worktop give a contemporary industrial feel to the zone. Light floods into the space through the glazed wall and the rooflight above against it. We didn t feel we would be able to get the personal space we desired if we built a house this way, says Shirley. We wanted something that made best use of the site and integrated the home and garden. We both had an idea of a crescent-shaped glazed wall, and to get this we needed a more bespoke solution. The couple turned their attention to finding an architect, but the first professional they employed left them underwhelmed. He came to visit the site and chatted through some ideas, says Mike. But when he came back with the plans we discovered he had got the orientation completely wrong. We couldn t believe what he d done the house would have been in complete shadow for most of the day. He was embarrassed about it, but we thought it was a fundamental mistake, so we started to look for someone else. The couple were introduced to Opinder by a friend, and they soon realised they wanted to work with him. We discovered we were like-minded and he was enthusiastic about the project. We immediately connected with him, says Shirley. When he came to

3 4 readers homes readers homes 5 The curved glazed wall is a feature the couple wanted to incorporate from the start. It blurs the boundary between indoor and outside space, leading out to a large patio and the grounds beyond. In good weather, Shirley uses the space to teach sculpture do a site assessment he talked to us about what we wanted from our new house. He said: As this is going to be your dream house, forget the financial constraints for the moment and think of all the wonderful things you would like. Write them all down and let me then come up with a plan. And that s what we did. Obviously we mentioned our idea of the curved wall, but we also wanted terraces leading from the bedrooms and an open plan living space. We gave him our budget and made story boards of how we wanted each room to look using clippings from various magazines. Planning & development The Collens plot is situated in a small village on the edge of a conservation area. The vast majority of homes there are decades if not hundreds of years old, and are traditional in style. The planning process was remarkably simple, says Shirley. The new house is on a different footprint; it is bigger and slightly closer to the road. We thought that building something modern in an old village like this would raise some objections. Although there were a few concerns at first, and we did have some restraints put on us, it was easy to work completely within the planners guidelines. Our old house was so energy inefficient that I think the council was quite keen for us to create a more sustainable home. The plans were approved and the Collens next move was to find the right tradespeople for the project. However, due to the nature of the other homes in the area, the only recommendations they could get from friends and neighbours were for specialist conservation builders and craftsmen. There didn t seem to be anybody local that focused on new builds so we turned to our architect, says Shirley. Opinder acted as a project manager for the build and hired all the tradesmen as well as sourcing materials and heating appliances. After the bungalow was removed, work began on the foundations. Because of the soil conditions and the willow roots the concrete piles had to be 11m deep. These came up to a concrete ground beam and then a beam and block concrete floor.

4 6 readers homes readers homes 7 WE LEARNED... THINK about your furniture. We put all of ours in storage, and when we brought it out and put it in the new house we discovered it didn t match. The only things we have kept are the dresser in the dining area, a grandfather clock and the red Eames chair. If your furnishings don t suit what you ve built, they have to go DON T be afraid to check up on your tradespeople just don t get in their way. If we hadn t been on site most days, we wouldn t have been aware of a problem with the cladding. The installer had fixed quite a lot of it upside-down. Thankfully we were there to identify, discuss and remedy the issue swiftly DON T ever pay for everything in advance. We did on one occasion, and it was a huge mistake. It cost us a great deal of time and money to rectify the issue with a new company PLAN your rooms in advance, right down to the last detail. This is especially important in terms of the electrical sockets you don t want to be left with these in an awkward position The structure itself consists of fairly conventional cavity wall construction, with part steel frame (which was used to create large open voids and cantilevered sections). The ground floor of the property is faced with stone, with timber cladding above. Providing both thermal efficiency and mass, the 100mm stone frontage sits in front of a 140mm cavity, which is packed full of insulation, followed by an 100mm-thick inner leaf of blockwork. A precast concrete first floor adds further to the property s thermal mass. Above: The living room is a quiet and relaxed zone that s stepped down from the open plan area. This pic: The gym is situated at the left of the glazed wall. It also houses a sauna and beauty zone for Shirley s business Overall efficiency The roof has both pitched and flat elements. The sloping sections are fitted with slate, which meets the planning permission requirements. Polyroof (a glass reinforced plastic covering) has been used for the flat sections and one of these is planted with sedum to create an eco-friendly green roof. In comparison to our old property, this house is very comfortable in terms of heat, says Mike. Even though there s lots of glass, we don t seem to lose much warmth. Throughout the house, all the windows are double glazed, argon gas filled and have a low-e coating. A skylight over the open plan zone keeps the interiors bright and boosts the property s solar gain. Because of this, and the robust materials and insulation used, the home only needs low grade heat to boost the temperature. We have an air source heat pump that is linked to underfloor heating on both storeys, says Shirley. We thought about a ground source version, but it would have been

5 8 readers homes readers homes 9 Oxford Kitchens and Bathrooms. They put it all right for us, says Shirley. Now complete, the room is full of all the mod-cons they wanted including a coffee maker, steam oven, wine fridge and warming drawers. Upstairs, there are four sizeable bedrooms each with its own en suite. What s more, two of the rooms lead out on to their own private deck. They are real suntraps, says Shirley. We use the areas for relaxing and, along with folding doors in the kitchen that lead out to the patio, they help to blur the boundaries between our outdoor and indoor space. Plus we get fantastic views of the garden. The Collens are understandably extremely proud of their new home. The open plan area is perfect for entertaining, and Shirley is glad to have room for her beauty business and to teach sculpture. In reality, the house is even better than the plans and they were wonderful! We love the new space. It has made the best of the plot and given us the home we always wanted, she says. This image: The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and leads out onto a sun terrace through French doors on the back wall. Right: Shirley designed the en suite, which has a luxurious extra large bath and limestone tiles too invasive and would have ruined the garden which I maintained throughout the project. I was a little worried that the pumps would be noisy, but thankfully they are practically silent. In addition to the pump and the green roof, the Collens have a number of other eco features. They have a rainwater harvesting system, which is linked up to the house and is used for flushing the toilets. They also have a greywater recycling arrangement that takes the water from showers and baths, filters it and then stores it for when it s required in the garden. Slick finish As you step through the front door, the wide hallway leads you through to the open plan, double-height zone. To the left of the room is the curved glass wall, and to the right of the space is the sleek and professional looking kitchen and a large dining area. Through a door at the end of the glazed expanse is the gym and sauna room from which Shirley runs a beauty business. A step down takes you through to a comfortable living room, with a stateof-the-art built in fireplace as a focal point on the back wall. The home s interiors have a luxurious finish, but one that Shirley and Mike insist was achieved on a tight budget using a mixture of top-of-the-range and high street products. Not everything has to be expensive. You need to dress things well and mix and match various items, says Shirley. While Opinder had taken care of the majority of the house for me, there were certain elements that I wanted to take the lead on namely the kitchen and the bathrooms. We sourced the entire kitchen from a company in Henley. It is a great design, and high quality, and I really wanted a stainless steel worktop yes, they do scratch but that gives them personality. We bought all the units and appliances from them, and paid for installation. The guy we worked with was very nice, but we soon realised we had been too trusting of him. The couple had paid for the kitchen and fitting shortly in advance of the works and deliveries being completed. Just two days after the money changed hands, the kitchen company went bust, leaving Shirley and Mike with an unfinished room and missing units. The kitchen was in boxes and he had all our money. We had to find someone to come and finish it for us and thankfully we came across closer look Design elements of this house... The Collens have created a home that suits their exact requirements. This is largely down to the relationship they had with their architect and project manger, Opinder Liddar. He encouraged them to create mood boards for each room that set out both the layout and finishings they desired. This enabled him to design unique spaces throughout the house that reflected the needs of the couple s everyday lives and Shirley s two businesses. Floor plans Ground floor TOTAL BUILD COST BREAKDOWN Elements Cost m 2 Cost % Total cost* Preliminaries 142 9% 54,000 Foundations 115 7% 44,000 External walls & windows % 98,000 Roof structure & covering % 85,000 Internal walls 131 8% 50,000 Floor, wall & ceiling finishes 110 7% 42,000 Joinery & fittings 99 6% 38,000 Plumbing & heating (incls. bathroom & kitchen) Mood boards % 66,000 Electrics 123 7% 47,000 Decorating 51 3% 19,000 Misc 3 1% 1,000 Fees 71 4% 27,000 External works % 60,000 Grand total 631,000 First Floor House plans re-created using ARCON 3D Home Design Software. Tel: arconsales@eleco.com Useful contacts ARCHITECTS lapd architects STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Ian Harban Consulting Engineers DOORS Howdens Joinery STAIRS Pear Stairs KITCHENS Oxford Kitchens and Bathrooms