A site that initially looked unpromising turned out to be the dream location for Paul and Mandy Stoner’s oak-frame house

HOMEOWNERS Paul and Mandy Stoner

LOCATION Essex

PROJECT Self-build detached

BUILD ROUTE Principal contractor and Oakwrights

CONSTRUCTION Oak frame with WrightWall and WrightRoof panels

SIZE 418m²

BUILD TIME 13 months

WORDS Seán O’Connell

PHOTOGRAPHY Oakwrights / Mark Watts

TIMELINE

Plot Purchased MAY 2020

Planning permission granted AUGUST 2020

House demolished and site work commenced SEPTEMBER 2020

Oak frame delivered to site MARCH 2021

Windows and doors delivered, creating wind and waterproofing JUNE 2021

Moved In OCTOBER 2021

Interior completed APRIL 2022

Paul and Mandy Stoner weren’t particularly impressed with the house they found online, but they could see that the land it came with might present them with a good opportunity to rebuild. However, until he visited the site, Paul was still unconvinced. “After being told about this plot, I drove past it as much to rule it out as anything else, because the details didn’t suggest it was anything special,” he says. “But within five minutes of being here we both knew this was somewhere we wanted to live.”

DESIGN PROCESS

The plot they had found was spectacular — it was set in 17 acres of woodland, on which stood a derelict 1970s chalet that had been empty for 10 years. There was planning permission to replace the house with a large, modern box, but Paul and Mandy felt this design simply didn’t do the site justice, so finding the right architect/designer became the couple’s next priority. “Looking at all the houses Oakwrights produced, we could tell they had a design eye, and we were then introduced to Pete Tonks of PJT Design, who partners with the company and is a member of their architectural design team as a regional designer,” says Mandy.