This up to date self-build home within the Lanarkshire city of Strathaven, was a labour of affection for retired architect Gordon Smith. Since its completion in the summertime of 2019, it’s now an essential legacy and extremely private house for spouse Helen.
Gordon and Helen, who had lived within the historic market city of Strathaven for the previous 35 years in a four-bedroom Victorian sandstone semi-detached villa, have been seeking to downsize of their retirement.
Architect Gordon had lengthy held a hankering to design and construct a home for Helen and himself, and at last, that probability got here alongside when the couple noticed an ideal – and barely obtainable – plot on the market close by within the city. Nonetheless, there was a serious sticking level…
The home is constructed on a tough suburban plot
The hole website, previously a again backyard between two villas, was bordered by a burn waterway and a strip of land between the street and burn that was not a part of the marketed plot.
These access issues prevented the couple from having the ability entry their plot as a way to start constructing their household house. So, Gordon set about negotiating a cope with the proprietor of the entry website.
“We knew the homeowners, their home borders the positioning, and so they have been reassured when Gordon mentioned his plans with them,” says Helen. “So we negotiated a worth which was affordable and on the premise of now having street entry, we determined to go forward with the construct.”
The couple had a sustainable imaginative and prescient
The plot, even unlocked, was not probably the most easy proposition. It was a tough steeply sloping website, with the burn between the street and home that needed to be bridged. Gordon noticed these numerous website situations as a super alternative to experiment with the house design.
Taking inspiration from the concepts of Modernist architects Aalto, Utzon, Breuer, and John Pardey’s one-off homes, Gordon’s predominant design thought was to create a ‘courtyard’ home that was a part of the grain of the city, and that may be so simple as attainable – supplies are primarily brick, timber, and glass.
The couple have been additionally eager that the home needs to be as sustainable and low power as attainable.
The home options an progressive structure
Following the sloping site, the home is split-level with the principle single-storey higher ground opening out onto a secluded rear backyard. To the two-storey street-facing facet, a decrease floor degree, constructed by way of a retaining wall of concrete and brick, addresses a paved courtyard throughout the small burn.
One facet of the home supplies a ramped service entry to the rear of the home, while the opposite has a processional stairway from the decrease entrance degree to as much as the higher courtyard degree and the formal entrance to the home.
The grand staircase resolves the varied modifications in degree. In the identical brick as the bottom of the home, it leads as much as the entrance entrance platform. A stained timber pergola spanning between the home and the brick boundary wall creates a shadow play throughout the courtyard missed by the north-facing home windows of the lounge.
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The courtyard, which screens the home from neighbouring properties, in addition to concealing the log retailer and air source heat pump – spills out onto the rear lawns and backyard, missed by the west-facing sliding glass elevation.
The principle residing lodging is contained inside a timber ‘field’, basically a double dice. The rear dice accommodates a single open plan area of lounge, eating, household space, and kitchen. The front-facing dice options bedrooms, examine, and loos. Two massive home windows into the bedrooms take pleasure in morning mild from the mature woodland on the parkland reverse. An enormous skylight above the central stairwell and hall floods the area in pure mild.
Under the ‘field’, the undercroft options the garage, which is accessed from the decrease forecourt, in addition to a visitor bed room, TV/Music room, and bathroom. A secondary entry has been fashioned on the decrease floor ground from the forecourt to an inner staircase with disabled entry to the principle home degree.
Privateness was key to the design
The principle home embodies a minimalist single-storey picket design, showcasing modernist aesthetics that prioritise privateness. Thoughtfully, no home windows in the home overlook neighbouring properties, making certain an unobtrusive setting. Conversely, the jap facet elevation options minimal high-level home windows with obscure glass or intelligent screening for added privateness, particularly within the kitchen space.
A 2.1-meter-high dealing with brick flank display screen wall runs alongside the whole size of the western boundary, offering an additional layer of visible screening for neighbouring properties. This wall encloses a tranquil, zen-like landscaped garden courtyard accessible from the home’s residing space.
Ingeniously, the excavated earth from the north facet of the positioning has been repurposed to create mounded landscaped areas in the garden. This ingenious answer ensures direct screening of all neighbouring properties that may have in any other case missed the home. Furthermore, this strategy contributes to lowering the constructing’s carbon footprint, as there was no have to take away the excavated earth from the positioning.
Logistical Challenges
Planners have been very a lot onside with the design, which slots sympathetically and unobtrusively into the streetscape of primarily post-war period homes. Gordon additionally project managed the whole construct, appointing all of the trades and sourcing all supplies and finishes.
The couple lived of their earlier house throughout development, although Gordon was on-site day-after-day. Aside from sooner or later when the home windows have been being put in. “Gordon was up there each morning. The one time he got here house was when the sliding doorways have been delivered and so they have been being carried on-site and lifted in situ. He stated that he simply could not watch!” says Helen.
Logistically, there have been just a few challenges with the development, primarily the tightness of the positioning, which left little room for manoeuvre, and was significantly tough within the early phases when the concrete retaining wall and exterior staircase have been being constructed. The higher degree was extra easy with the prefabricated insulated timber equipment ‘cubes’ hoisted on website by way of a big crane.
Shifting into the dream home
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The couple moved in on the finish of Could 2019, and Gordon bought to benefit from the fruits of his labour for 3 months earlier than he handed away in September 2019. “He preferred to stroll to the again of the home into the backyard and look again at what he created,” says Helen. “He is not right here, however he’s in a means; he is in all of the touches that he designed.”
“It is a simple home to dwell in,” continues Helen. “The warmth pump and underfloor heating make it actually heat. The ground-to-ceiling home windows additionally let in a lot mild. It is by no means chilly, even in winter. We’ve got a log burner as a backup, but it surely’s too heat; it is by no means been wanted so it is extra of an decoration. We had it on Xmas day, however we needed to open the sliding doorways – it was too heat!”
“I additionally take pleasure in having a utility room that I’ve by no means had. A utility room with a pulley – that was the one factor I requested for!” concludes Helen. “The principle factor although, is that it is an incredible home for entertaining, an enormous social home that guests take pleasure in, and I can converse to friends after I’m within the kitchen. I like residing right here. There may be nothing I’d change about the home. Completely nothing.”
The Smiths have been fortunate that Gordon was in a position to negotiate entry on this tough suburban website. Securing planning permission in an city growth typically hinges on with the ability to present vehicular entry. It is a essential planning situation, so self-builders ought to make sure that these situations are attainable earlier than going forward with their buy or construct.