Into the Woods

Keen to up sticks and relocate to the countryside, Sarah Farrington traded in her west London home for a striking new self-build in Warwickshire

- Rebecca Foster

AT ONE WITH NATURE

The cedar cladding has been left untreated so that over time, it will weather and blend in with its woodland backdrop. Two sedum roofs have also been incorporated to help the property harmonise with the green surroundings.

Sarah Farrington is no stranger to the highs and lows of the self-build process. With numerous successful renovations under her belt, Sarah, an interior designer, completed her first self-build, a knock-down and rebuild in London, in 2015.

ADDED LANDSCAPING

The back of the house is west facing, so it catches the evening sun. After excavating and building the house into the hillside, this area needed to be backfilled with stone. This unexpected £65,000 outlay ate into Sarah’s landscaping budget, and she has subsequently done a lot of the work on the garden herself.

Two years later, the attractions of a more rural lifestyle in Warwickshire beckoned, along with the challenge of taking on another self-build. “Once you’ve done a build yourself and designed your own layout, it’s tough finding another house that works,” she says. Initially, Sarah looked out for renovation opportunities, but soon switched her focus to plots of land.

IDEAL ENVIRONMENT

The house and its idyllic surroundings suit Sarah and her sons Callum, 19, and Locky, 16 – plus Cockapoo, Charlie – down to the ground.