Is This Britain's Best Green House?

If you thought that green houses equalled bad design, think again — Tom and Sally Beevor’s self-built house not only holds some impressive eco credentials, but it looks fantastic too. Here’s how they did it...

THE BACKGROUND

Tom and Sally Beevor built their new timber framed home in Norfolk within the grounds of their previous home, a Queen Anne property that “offered no opportunity to experiment with modern colours or to introduce energy-saving ideas” — exactly what they wanted to do with their three bedroom self-build.

The Beevors were keen to build a wooden house that fitted in well with its surroundings, and hired architect Neil Winder, who specialises in eco-friendly architecture, to come up with a design. The Beevors had visited Neil’s own house and were keen to build something similar, “Once we had seen that Neil’s house could be beautiful and ecologically friendly at the same time, it seemed an obvious choice,” explains Sally.

The couple have achieved exactly what they set out to do — build a stylish and comfortable home that sits well in its surroundings, uses natural and locally grown resources and is ecologically friendly to boot. And, best of all, they finally got their bright colours too.

THE COSTS

Tom and Sally already owned the land but they estimate that it would have cost around £150,000 on the open market. The build itself cost around £250,000 (at around £1,200/m2) and it was conservatively valued at £500,000 shortly after it was completed in 2003.

CONSTRUCTION

Timber frame was chosen for the construction of the house. As the couple were keen to use local materials wherever possible, the frame was primarily made up of timber grown and processed in the grounds of the new house and put together by just three men.

Clay pantiles, reclaimed from old farm buildings on the estate, were reused on the roof and the breathing wall structure was clad in larch weatherboarding from the Beevors’ woodyard and painted with a grey eco-friendly stain.

Instead of standard concrete foundations, the timber frame has been raised up on steelwork. Twelve posts sit on concrete pads and act like stilts, which not only improves the views from the house, but also reduces the impact that the house has upon the site.

ECO FEATURES

The house has been insulated using high levels of recycled newspaper to keep it warm throughout the year. In addition, a solar hotwater system is linked to the central heating system and there is a small yet sophisticated weather-linked oil-fired boiler.

A reed bed sewage and compost system has also been installed, along with low-flush toilets. All waste from the house passes through an Aquatron separator, enabling the flow of water to be diverted to the reed bed and the solids to be composted.

DESIGN

The house was designed by Norfolk-based architect Neil Winder. Tom and Sally requested a light, airy building which would relate well to its parkland setting and give good views out over the garden. Neil specialises in designing houses capable of withstanding the effects of climate change, such as extreme temperatures and flooding, so the house has been built with a large abutting ditch and a range of trees close by, plus the larch timber frame has been raised up on steelwork posts that sit on concrete pads that act like stilts, ensuring it should never flood. Large windows connect the house to the garden and ensure maximum passive solar gain.

Why We Love This House - Jason Orme, Editor

For too long, the green movement has been on the fringes of mainstream thinking — and I think the number one reason behind this is that the movement has failed to appreciate that style, looks and aesthetics need to work in tandem with a green approach. To the man in the street, going green meant sacrificing good design. Yet this ground-breaking house in Norfolk shows that it is possible to have the best of both worlds — a home that is superlatively attractive but also includes a host of eco features.