A Georgian Style House Built for £150,000

Peter and Katrina Mandefield have built a classic Georgian style family home using many reclaimed materials for just £150,000.

Building this house was my chill-out time,” says Peter Mandefield. “I was working as a divisional manager in the motor trade, spending long hours away from home and missing out on time with my four children. They were growing up and I wasn’t around enough to appreciate them.”

In 2001 an elderly couple who lived across the road from Peter and Katrina moved into an old people's home. Their 1920s red brick bungalow had great potential, with a large south facing garden of approximately a fifth of an acre, and Peter began thinking about purchasing the property for renovation.

"Most houses in Uppleby are period properties," he explains, "and the bungalow was really not in keeping with its Conservation Area setting. After spending years extending and remodelling our existing home Katrina was not particularly keen to move - until I explained that, by co-ordinating all the tradesmen myself, I could save enough money to stop working for a year and spend more time with the family."

When the bungalow eventually came onto the market property prices had increased significantly and there was enormous interest - prompting the estate agent to invite sealed bids of best and final offers. The Mandefields spent two weeks deciding how much they should offer and, once they were informed that their bid had been successful, moved heaven and earth to secure the keys just five weeks later.

Peter handed in his notice to an incredulous boss and began working on the plans - submitting sketches to architectural technician, Chris Dent, a long standing family friend. "We were very clear regarding our requirements," says Katrina. "Old clamp bricks, a reclaimed slate roof, wooden sash windows and a conservatory. Our plans were submitted just one week after we completed on the bungalow but, eight weeks later, we were informed that our planning application was going to be recommended for refusal because the remodelled and extended bungalow was simply too large."

Peter is quick to praise the planning officers, however, who offered help and advice throughout the project. "We revised and reduced our plans, setting the house 1.6 metres lower in the ground to reduce its impact," he says. "One section of the building is single storey with dormer windows, whilst the remainder is two storey, and our intention was to extend the existing bungalow, reclad the walls with clamp bricks and fit new sash windows to create a five bedroom Georgian style property. However, after working for several weeks removing ceilings and internal walls, rebuilding the chimney stack and spending about £1,500 on labour and materials, we discovered that there was a problem with the foundations."

Peter dug some trial pits prior to building the extension and found that the entire house was constructed on broken rubble. Underpinning was going to prove expensive and he decided to consult the planners, who immediately agreed that the whole house could be demolished and rebuilt as a new property - enabling Peter and Katrina to reclaim much of the VAT. On December 5th 2001 the planning permission was granted and a demolition team arrived on site two days later. By the 8th the bungalow was just a pile of rubble - a fact which astonished passers-by, who would sit in their cars staring in amazement.

The family were still living in their previous home and, with no job, Peter was aware that the build needed to be completed as quickly as possible to avoid excessive interest charges on two mortgages. Unfortunately, an old lime tree just eight metres from the new house necessitated 1.4 metre deep foundations to comply with the requirements of the building control officer and NHBC.

"The tree cost us an additional £2,000, as we were building on clay soil," says Peter. "Work progressed very quickly, however, and the bricklayers did a wonderful job. We were extremely lucky with the weather, and they reached joist height before the end of January."

Peter's joiner, Mark Blackman, was involved in a shooting accident two days before he was due to fit the first floor joists. To Peter and Katrina's surprise he managed to organise his apprentice and a friend to complete the work as scheduled, and the four structural oak joists were craned into position. Knowing so many of the tradesmen on a personal level made the build an enjoyable experience. Thompsons, the joinery company and small builder's merchant which supplied many of the materials, is run by two brothers - one of whom was Peter's best man. "I have known the plumber and electrician for 35 years, as well as the people who supplied our kitchen and furniture," says Peter.

"My job was as Mr. Motivator," he continues. "I acted as labourer and made the tea and bacon sandwiches but, because I was paying by the hour, my most important role was to make sure that everything arrived on time. Any delays were costly, so I spent £1,000 on a Toyota pick-up to collect materials - which turned out to be my single best buy.

The only real disaster occurred when the farmer who had promised me 16,000 reclaimed clamp bricks from an old barn ended up supplying just 4,000. I spent hours on the phone and ended up driving miles to get bricks from seven different sources. In total I spent £12,000 on 20,000 bricks for the house, conservatory, garage and garden walls, but they all blend extremely well."

Reclaimed materials, such as the bricks and Welsh roof slates, have been used wherever possible to re-create an authentic period feel. Stone window sills and wooden sashes were fitted, and 19 Georgian doors purchased from a reclamation yard for £1,000. "The doors were one of our best buys," Katrina states. "We were also pleased with the reconditioned Aga, which cost £2,000 to buy, convert to gas and have fitted. The York stone flooring was also a bargain at £18/m2 for seconds - and we have used this in the kitchen, hallway and conservatory as well as in the garden for paths, copings and patios.

"Throughout the build Katrina allowed me to make most of the major decisions, but she put her foot down when I admitted I had made a mistake with the size of the utility room and would not be able to accommodate the American style fridge freezer she had set her heart on," Peter says. "Needless to say the necessary adjustments were made!"

The south facing conservatory is one of the family's favourite rooms, and they love the gentle warmth of the underfloor heating. "We have had such positive comments from everyone who sees the house - from planners to friends," Peter remarks. "Not only have we built our ideal family home, but giving up work to manage the project made me realise that I wanted to spend more time with my family. Building the house has been one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences and, although there were problems and frustrations, I enjoyed it so much that I have decided to work in property management. Who would have thought self-build could change our lives so dramatically?"

Further reading:

• A Georgian Style Family Home with a Contemporary Twist
• A Self Built Four Bedroom Georgian Villa
• A Guide to Georgian Style House Design