A Riverside Chalet-style Self-build

At a time when the rest of London and the Home Counties appeared to be escaping to the country, Maggie Samea and Mark Yeomanson decided to embark on a journey back from Devon - where they had just completed a barn conversion - to the Home Counties, an area familiar to both of them. "We missed being close to London," Maggie confides, "and as soon as we began to look at the cost of houses, we had no doubts that what we really wanted to do was another conversion or restoration. We were ready to launch into another project"

The problem in the London fringe areas is finding a site or a project that is worth the investment in terms of time, money and emotional drain. With developers snapping up most of the attractive sites, they had to look long and hard, turning down several likely-looking ideas before finally coming across an almost derelict chalet style bungalow on the bank of the River Thames at Shepperton.

The bungalow had been occupied by an elderly man for years and had become badly damaged by neglect and the elements. The garden was so overgrown that when they came to clear the site they discovered two cars in the grounds that they hadn't seen in their earlier visits.

The bungalow itself might have been a wreck but the old maxim about location being everything certainly applied here. "How much is a view worth?" Maggie asks rhetorically. Just ten feet from the front of the property is the ever-changing panorama of one of the busiest stretches of the lower Thames with a constant stream of pleasure boats, rowers and waterfowl passing by.

"There's something wonderfully relaxing about being beside flowing water and the rich tapestry of river life simply adds to the spectacle," Maggie enthuses. "As soon as I saw where the bungalow was, I knew it would make a wonderful home. I could imagine how relaxing and enthralling it would be to sit and watch that view unfold over the course of the day." On a more practical basis Mark stated: "at least no one can build in front of us."

Being near to the river gave Mark a few doubts about the purchase, and it was not until after much research into the potential risks of flooding, erosion, subsidence and insurability that they decided to go ahead with the purchase.

The property purchase was to be by way of a sealed bid, always a difficult calculation, and Mark and Maggie had to calculate projected costs for all work on the site before they made their submission. For others facing this prospect, there could be a few lessons to be learnt from Maggie and Mark's approach, as Mark explains.

"Irrespective of the advertised guide price do not be tempted to bid more than what you think it is worth, and what the project could cost: taking into account a large provision for unforeseen problems that may arise at a later date. Our sealed bid was rejected and relegated to third place. But we were aware that a lot of developers are prepared to bid a high price to gain the opportunity to try and achieve large planning gains."

In the end the other parties failed to complete and the property was offered back to the couple. Mark has a very pragmatic approach to projects and he had almost forgotten it; but it was Maggie's intuitive feel that won the day.

"It was our intention to restore the property," Mark explains, "but the more we looked at the state of the structure and the projected costs, the more we realised that demolition and a new structure was the only realistic way forward."

The decision to level the site and start again was not one to take lightly. Mark and Maggie had bought the bungalow without any consideration for planning permission to demolish and design a brand new home.

"When we realised we would need to create a new dwelling and the reality of the situation started to dawn on us, there were a few sleepless nights, recalculating and assessing the situation," admits Mark. "We had no illusions as to the possible difficulties planning permission would present, but in reality the planners at Spelthorne Council were very helpful. I think they could see that the site would benefit from redevelopment. Of course they expected us to create something in keeping with the surroundings, but since almost every waterfront house in the area was different we were confident that this would give us plenty of scope in our design."

Considerations such as roof shape and height were to become the key issues. In many ways, these restrictions helped shape the final design and resulted in the glass frontage to the river creating a huge uninterrupted panoramic view. In fact they created two vistas, with the ground floor having an opening with an unsupported nine-and-a-half metre span and the upstairs lounge leading out on to a nine metre balcony with an innovative glass floor and glass surround.

The requirements to raise the property to allow for flooding (even though this had never happened to the property) were laid down in legislation and were a condition of the planning permission.

After changing the design many times Mark, in conjunction with the architects, Pelta Associates of Chertsey, and Maggie's input on the practicality of the internal layout, the final plan was submitted and approved. Mark and Maggie had by this time decided that glass, steel, natural limestone and red hardwood cedar for the deck were going to be the key elements around which this contemporary house would evolve. The chalet style of the previous property had in part been retained but, within the format, Mark and Maggie have incorporated a fabulous range of innovative ideas and a stunning contemporary look.

As Maggie says, "With the concept of Mark's design being a seamless transition between the inside and outside space, utilising materials with an industrial quality, and having already used exposed timber in my barn project, the idea of using exposed steel was one that I embraced immediately in a modern building," Maggie explains. "When the steel frame was put up the rumours that the building was going to be a warehouse or a superstore were rife," she jokes.

Due to the complexity of the project a team incorporating an architect, engineers and a project management company were employed to bring the vision to reality. Even before the first piles on which the steel frame was to sit on were installed, Maggie and Mark had already sourced the major subcontractors and materials for the project.

"With the journey reaching its end, it's now time to sit back and enjoy what we have created," Maggie and Mark admit, "but we can't leave it there." Already, armed with the experience and possibly a raft of cost savings, they are looking for the next project to start some time in spring next year. 

Further reading:

• A Radical Home by the Sea
• A Modernist Renovation on the Thames
• A Self-build Log Home