How To Make The Most of an Awkward Plot

ABOVE: Long and Thin Plot - The solution to a small, long and narrow plot that made up the owners’ former garden lay not in a long, thin house but in something a bit more interesting. Architect Phil Easton’s solution includes anything but the conventional: four separate monopitched roofs all at different angles, plenty of curves and a striking chimney wall, complete with external glass panel.

Odd, small, awkward plots have great potential for self-builders — not least because they are usually the ones left on the market. Jason Orme, himself an owner of what was an awkward plot, explains how to get the best out of them.

There’s not a reader of this magazine who dreams at night of building their new individual home on an awkward, tight infill plot — but in the cold light of day, the reality is that for the majority of selfbuilders, it is exactly these types of plot that come onto the market at a price they can afford. And that’s not to say that the houses that these self-builders tend to build – your writer included – aren’t beautiful and interesting and don’t provide ample accommodation. They do. It’s just that these plots – the difficult, unloved, awkward, seemingly ridiculously small – require self-builders and the team they put together to have two essential elements in abundance: namely bags of vision and design flair.

Plots are created in all manner of ways. They are most often side or rear gardens of varying shapes and sizes that the owner has perhaps begun to find difficult to maintain. They can be corners of bits of land that history has forgotten and nobody figured out what to do with. They can be infill sites, perhaps currently home to garages and outbuildings. Whatever their current use, with careful planning, bags of determination and vision, and the skills of a fine designer, your new home could be sitting on there in two years’ time. The great news is that, as the box on page 87 shows, what feels to the selfbuilder like a small or awkward plot is usually quite generous compared to that built upon by the commercial housebuilder, meaning that what looks at first like an unusual site should have no impact on end value.

AWKWARD-SHAPED PLOTS

Not all plots are rectangular with an obvious road frontage. Some, for instance, may be triangular, with the access side-on to the main road. If this is the case, your design will have to give much more attention to side elevations that are not usually considered a priority. Road frontage is still vitally important. Slim properties that are gable end-on to the road can be improved by hipping the front plane of the roof to draw the eye backwards. It’s critical not to draw attention to the garage door (this is a common fault with 1960s/70s house design). Either face it across the plot in an L-shape arrangement or, at the very least, set it back from the main focal point of the front of the house.

Consider where you might be able to build in private outdoor spaces on an awkward site. Try and build in enclosed courtyards so that you’ll be able to enjoy eating outside away from road noise.

The good news is that awkward-shaped plots tend to bring out the best in innovative design. You’ll almost certainly end up with more interesting window configurations and a lighter house as a result; you’ll also get more views from the inside of the house. If privacy is a factor, particularly in creating a garden, ensure that your set aside a good part of your budget for extra landscaping costs so that mature trees/hedging can be bought.

Awkward-shaped plots often tend to mean building right up to boundary lines. There are no set planning rules about this issue and individual applications are taken on their merit. A plot of this sort might be best served by sacrificing space around one elevation in order to get the most out of the plot. Planners will take into consideration the building’s appearance and its impact on neighbours.

Work out how to light a narrow house on a tight site, which may suffer from a lack of windows. Light from above in the form of a roof lantern should be considered.

Narrow sites tend to suffer from internal layout problems, particularly based on the entrance area — a hallway can take up a significant amount of room in a narrow house. Therefore, many designers tend to position entrances to the side. However, this can provide problems for the front elevation as it can then be seen to lack a focal point. Discuss how to solve this common problem with your designer.

THINGS TO AVOID

• A thin, bland, heavily massed feel
• Lack of focal point at ground floor level
• Poor internal quality of light

ABOVE: Awkward Plot - Formerly a corner of a neighbouring villa’s extensive gardens, this cliff-edge site in Devon came with planning permission and didn’t meet its reserve at auction. The owners bought it and initially set about stabilising the coastal slope to prevent collapse, rebuilding the sea wall and installing a system of rock anchors. Only at this stage did they begin, in collaboration with designer Stan Bolt, to think about a design solution. The upsidedown layout and spectacular contemporary design lay testament to the bravery of the site’s owners in addition to their initial vision, despite all materials having to be brought into site by barge. Read more...

SLOPING PLOTS

Sloping sites may well add significantly to your build cost – according to Mark Brinkley, H&R Contributing Editor and author of The Housebuilder’s Bible, each degree of slope will add £1,500 to your build cost – but they will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the style of house you end up with. Any design is faced with three options when building on a sloping plot: to build into the slope (having dug away some earth); to build out of the slope, with extra foundations/stilts etc; or to build around the slope, which would result in a split-level internal design. All three are valid and which route you take will depend on your design considerations. If the plot is sloping away from the road and has views to the rear, for instance, you should consider the introduction of balconies. Plots that slope towards the front of the plot are more difficult in that they limit potential kerb appeal — a singlestorey front elevation will not advertise the full extent of the accommodation provided.

THINGS TO AVOID

• A tiny, bland front elevation on a site that slopes down to the rear
• No garden space and no views from the rear on sites that slope up to the rear

ABOVE: Sloping Site - Built over three levels, this Modernist-style four bedroom home in Glasgow has allowed the significant slope of the site to dictate its design. The south-east entrance corner features a strong vertical elevation while the south-west elevation, which occupies higher ground, is arranged horizontally over two levels. The main living areas are on the second floor which is half-occupied by a sensational enclosed outdoor space, while the utility areas are built on the semi-ground floor.

SITES WITH TREES ON

Many of the best sites are dominated by large trees. If they are unprotected, then they can be cleared to make way for your development. If they are protected by a Tree Preservation Order or your potential site is situated in a Conservation Area, then they will significantly restrict your ability to develop the site. While Building Control and warranty inspectors will be able to give you exact details about how close you can build to a tree that you can’t move, as a general rule, you won’t be able to build underneath the canopy.

LOGISTICS

If you are building on a small or awkward site, don’t forget that you will need to work out access for large vehicles to be able to deliver materials to the site. In addition, plan where materials can be kept on site — preferably in a safe location away from road frontage, where they might prove attractive to thieves. For this reason, many self-builders decide to build a detached garage first.

You could also consider knocking down an existing house. Find out how…

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