Country escape
The Milnes hadn’t contemplated self building before - but taking the plunge has given them the idyllic rural lifestyle they craved
FACT FILE
LOCATION Bedfordshire
CONSTRUCTION METHOD Green oak with encapsulation
PROJECT ROUTE Oakwrights design and shell build, homeowner project managed
LAND COST £259,655
HOUSE SIZE 235m2
PLOT SIZE 0.35 acres
PROJECT COST £445,965
PROJECT COST PER M2 £1,898
BUILDING WORK TOOK One year
Lisa and Ian Milne had been living close to Watford for 17 years when they decided the time was right to escape to a more rural area. “We wanted to be somewhere more tranquil but were commuting into London, so wherever we moved would need to have good transport connections,” says Lisa. “We found a house we liked but ended up losing out in a bidding war. As I worked in property funding I had good industry contacts, so we decided to change tack and look for a piece of land on which to build our own home.”