A Georgian Self Build

"I love Georgian houses," says Bob Curteis. "Over the years my parents restored several mediaeval properties, which meant that I grew up learning about old buildings. They subscribed to Country Life magazine, and I would cut out pictures of appealing houses but it was the Georgian period which really inspired me."

Bob, Carey and their daughter Charlotte were living in a small 1880s terraced cottage in Cheshire, and had been looking for another period house to renovate or remodel, when Bob spotted a photograph in the local paper of two cottages which were due to be sold at auction. He had missed all of the viewing dates, but decided to go and look from the outside. "There was no road access so the only way to get to the cottages was down a public footpath and across a farm," he explains. "I happened upon the owners picking damsons in the grounds and asked if I could look at the cottages, walked past once and promptly made them an offer without even stepping inside. Two days later I was the new owner!"

The cottages dated from the late 18th century and, although they were in a state of severe disrepair, were situated in large mature gardens. Bob felt that the location was idyllic but realised that the cottages would need to be totally rebuilt. "They had pitched roofs with a central valley, which had built up with leaf mould and was filtering rainwater directly into the buildings," he says. Some of the bricks were so soft that you could literally pull them out of the walls. It would have been financially impractical to try and restore the cottages, but I hoped to be allowed to remodel them into a single family house."

Access was obviously going to be a major problem, and there was no mains water or sewerage on the site. Although Bob and Carey purchased the cottages in 1988, it took almost six years before they were able to begin work. Planning proved difficult as reconstruction is not encouraged in the Green Belt, but the Curteis' architect, John Rowley, argued that - as there were two cottages - the couple should be entitled to permitted development rights for extending each building. "We found the planning officers to be very helpful and constructive, and extensions to the side and rear of the cottages were eventually granted planning consent," says Carey. "The house was still smaller than we would have liked, but it was the only way forward."

Bob designed the house himself using John Rowley to draw up the plans and submit them for planning and building regulations consent. I put most thought into the front elevation, says Bob. Its an amalgam of details from several properties I admire, and I even drew each brick onto graph paper to check that it would work. The only feature which we retained from the original cottages was the double roof pitch in order to reduce the overall height and impact of the house. Everything else has been redesigned.

Research was an important and enjoyable aspect of the project, with the Curteises reading widely in order to ensure that their new home was built using authentic looking materials from the correct period. "I have tried to build the house using genuine materials wherever possible," says Bob. "The external flags, steps, sills, keystones and cornice are all Georgian, for example, as are the internal doors, fireplaces, pilasters and door architraves. Wherever it has been impractical to use old materials I have tried to source faithful copies of original designs."

Bob planned and oversaw every aspect of the project employing a main contractor and some of the specialist subcontractors as well as purchasing materials. A new access road was put in and services brought onto the isolated site, and a septic tank installed. The ground to the rear of the cottages had built up to first floor level and needed extensive excavation, with deep footings necessary to one corner in order to accommodate the roots of a mature beech tree. "We needed to build new foundations and a new slab, shoring up the front elevation with scaffolding and taking down the rest of the building. Once the three sides had been rebuilt we could complete the front wall," says Carey. "It was a laborious process but essential if we were to meet planning conditions."

The Curteises had hoped to re-use some of the bricks from the old cottages but their builder, Bob Pickering, advised them to purchase new materials. "I would strongly urge anyone considering using reclaimed bricks to think very hard about it," says Bob. "So many companies offer good imitations, and the Old Henley bricks we chose even have a convincing fake lichen growth."

"Wall construction was very different in Georgian times they didn't have Celcon blocks for a start. Creating a feeling of weight and depth to the walls was quite difficult, and some parts of the front wall are over two feet thick to accommodate working shutters, with solid block internal walls for added solidity. I particularly like the use of Flemish bond with the blue headers on the front elevation of the house, although the mortar has turned out to be a little darker than we wanted."

One of the major hurdles was meeting the requirements of modern building regulations whilst retaining an authentic period feel. Carey and Bob had purchased a beautiful 18th century staircase which simply did not comply with current requirements. In the end, they had a mahogany copy made from the original. Doors and windows are another important feature when achieving the symmetry and proportions of the Georgian era, and the house has a large, centrally positioned front door and single glazed sash windows of six panes over six panes - with each pane greater in height than in width.

Despite some innovative cost-cutting exercises the finished house has all the quiet grandeur and architectural detail of the Georgian era, without the usual maintenance concerns. "I wouldn't know how to go about designing a contemporary house," says Bob.

"At the end of the day I'm a copyist. I wanted to build a house which celebrated the Georgian period but was also comfortable and practical to live in. 18th century properties in this area are at a premium, and their period features have often been destroyed. We have built a neo-Georgian home which does justice to its site for a fraction of the price of the genuine article."

Further reading:

• A Georgian Style Self Build
• A Three Storey Georgian Self Build
• A Guide to Georgian Design