Self-Build Story

I don’t know whether it’s just me but throughout the build I never quite believed that the house ever truly belonged to us. Sometimes I would visit the site and feel like I was trespassing, or I was simply an inquisitive guest in another person’s house.

But I think there is a turning point in every self-build when the penny drops and you finally realise that this amazing house is really going to be your dream home. For Yvonne and I, the sale of our existing property proved to be this defining moment.

When we bought the land in the spring of 2007, we had already decided to remain in our current home until the house was complete. The decision to spend two winters in a caravan with our young family had been dismissed before the kettle had even boiled, so for almost three years we had juggled two large mortgages during the UK’s longest ever recession. With the new house now just a matter of six to eight weeks from completion, we received an offer on our current property which meant we could now fully focus our efforts on our short move up the road.

In a final push to have the house ready, Jon Day (07918 736198) of Passivhaus Ltd and his team of multi-skilled tradesmen began painting the top two bedroom levels while, on the lower floors, they applied the much finer second coat of white spray plaster to the walls.

With the ground and first floor cloakrooms tiled, attention turned to the main family bathroom and two large en suites, which now contain a mixture of high-spec Duravit and Villeroy & Boch furniture from Zest Bathrooms, in Chester (01244 345414 zestbathrooms.co.uk).

Our original plan had been to give each bathroom an individual look, but Zest’s inhouse bathroom designer, Bill Chesters, persuaded us to keep a degree of uniformity, so we have gone with matching Tundra Marfil porcelain wall and floor tiles throughout.

We have also chosen to go with spacious wetroom-style showers in all three bathrooms and rich walnut furniture, which will match the high-quality wooden flooring and window ledges.

ABOVE: The outside patio areas are finished while the bathrooms (sanitaryware from Duravit and Villeroy & Boch) are installed.

Outside, the paving and iroko cladding was almost complete and Jon had instructed the hardwood decking to begin. In total we have 80m2 outside the four bedrooms, complementing the glass balconies which are now in place. The pressure was also now on Steve McKay (asmckaysheetmetalfabrication.co.uk) and John Crofts, of MPE Interiors, (0151 653 8331) to deliver the main staircase which is to be the focal point of the four storey building. After months of discussion and careful planning with our architect, Nick Davies (01352 840265 or quadprojects.com), we finally settled on a stunning-looking design which will comprise thick open walnut treads and toughened glass handrails.

As well as making the bespoke walnut treads, John Crofts of MPE Interiors was commissioned to make a hardwood staircase for the side of the house, which will lead from the rear of bedroom three into the garden on the first floor.

Work also began on installing the striking high-gloss German-built SieMatic kitchen, also from Zest, after Jon Day’s lads had finished laying the large Villeroy & Boch kitchen floor tiles. Because of the expensive ovens, fridges, freezer and dishwasher from Miele and Neff, Jon was keen to get the kitchen complete and lay the walnut flooring in the day room so he could seal off the area and prevent any dust entering the new appliances.

With tradesmen working in almost every room in the house and the nights getting ever darker, electrician Mark Birchall (07814 704921) had the unenviable task of installing lights in each room. We have chosen to go with low-energy LED lighting in most areas, which will be complemented at a later date with some feature lighting in the kitchen, bedrooms and outside. With just under two months until our planned moving in date, the property is finally starting to feel like our home!