The idea of building their own house was the last thing on Steve and Susanne Clarke’s mind when they began searching around for a potential new home. “We’d never had the desire to build our own home and we loved the idea of moving into a barn conversion,” says Steve. But unimpressed with any of the barns they had viewed, the couple began to formulate the idea of building a new house in the garden of their existing home in Essex where they had lived for 20 years, before concluding that planning permission for a new build in and around the village would almost certainly be declined. “We then found a plot a couple of miles away but soon realised it wouldn’t give us the must-haves we needed from our new home, one of which was the ability to enjoy distant views over green fields,” says Steve.
At that point, the couple’s lives took a turn when a new business opportunity saw them move to California for two years. When they returned and restarted plans for a new build, they thought of the house in which they’d lived in the US. “It was situated on top of a hill with panoramic views,” says Steve. “We knew this was the kind of setting we should be aiming for.”
HOMEOWNERS Steve and Susanne Clarke
LOCATION Little Easton, Essex
SIZE 260m²
CONSTRUCTION Green oak frame
BUILD TIME 13 months
BUILD COST Circa £750,000
VALUE £1.6m
WORDS Seán O’Connell
PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Watts
A PROMISING DEVELOPMENT
Denne historien er fra August 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 2023-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.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Back to black
Dramatic black finishes and industrial touches add impact to Charlotte and Sam Tisdall's extended end-terrace home
Change for good
A last-minute decision to build a kitchen extension instead of a general update turned out to be a wise move for the owners of this detached period property
High praise
After converting a run-down gospel hall into a unique 1930s-inspired home-complete with geodesic dome - Alice Deuchar and Daniel Schamroth pronounced it a resounding succes
Lifetime achievement
Replacing a tired 1960s bungalow with a bespoke prefabricated contemporary house allowed retired architect Helen Heslop Brunt and her husband Martin to fulfil a long-held dream
Self-build for beginners PART 13 PRE-CONSTRUCTION GUIDE
Make sure that your insurance, health and safety, build and cost schedules and all documents are all in place before kick-off
ECO LANDSCAPING
Creating a garden with green credentials isn't without its challenges, but there are plenty of ways you can reduce its impact on the environment, once you know how
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT PASSIVHAUS VENTILATION?
Heat and energy expert David Hilton explains the benefits, options and costs of this ultimate heating standard
HOW MUCH DOES EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION COST?
It's touted as an affordable home insulation method, but is external wall insulation worth the outlay and what are the lifetime costs? We look at the figures...
Open-plan kitchen DAVID HOCKNEY EXTENSIONS
From structural considerations and zoning to layout ideas and lighting, our practical guide to creating your new space has it covered
RENOVATING A GEORGIAN HOME
Known for their elegant architectural features, Georgian homes need to be restored sensitively to make them fit for modern life
