As director of architecture practice Gruff Architects, Rhys Cannon was better placed than most to see the potential of tricky urban sites. So when he found a tight, triangular brownfield plot in south London which overlooked a railway line, he was surprised that it won over the whole family.
"We were a family of four - we had a third child during the build and we lived in a basement flat in south-east London, so we loved the idea of a self-build," says Rhys. "Its main outlook is west-facing into trees for 40m along the railway line and beyond into back gardens. In the height of summer, it's incredibly private and very desirable."
The plot was accessed by a single, narrow track and in a conservation area, so Rhys knew these challenges would require creative solutions, not just in terms of design, but also when it came to the build process itself.
ACHIEVING PLANNING ON AN URBAN SITE
Rhys set to work with pre-planning applications and talking to the local conservation group, as well as Network Rail, before he agreed on a price with the vendor with a handshake reliant on planning approval. However, securing the plot was not smooth sailing. Another party started a bidding war, despite the site still being without any planning consent for residential use, and with an application for a traditional home by another architect already refused.
HOMEOWNERS Rhys Cannon and Joanna Brindle
LOCATION South London SIZE 152m²
BUILD ROUTE Main contractor
CONSTRUCTION Masonry ground floor with steel and timber frame first floor
BUILD TIME One year (2018-2019)
PLOT COST Undisclosed
BUILD COST £600,000
VALUE Undisclosed WORDS Alexandra Pratt
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Homebuilding & Renovating.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Homebuilding & Renovating.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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