readers’ homes
HEART & SOUL
A heartfelt speech to the planning committee and some hard graft were key to Matt and Sarah Switzer ’s self build project – which they’ve since extended to achieve their ultimate dream home
WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN
The gable roof on the new extension has been clad in cedar and painted grey to match the joinery and cladding on the side section. The handmade Brookhurst Wentworth clay roof tiles from Sahtas tie in with the rest of the house
PHOTOS NIKHILESH HAVAL
Matt Switzer had long hoped to self build and fulfilled his dream in 2018 by completing a stunning oak frame cottage with his wife, Sarah. A couple of years later, they decided to improve their forever home by adding an extension. “We had the wow factor with our vaulted entrance hall, but the original planning restrictions only allowed us to build one-and-a-half storeys, which meant upstairs didn’t have the same feel,” says Matt. “Our master bedroom was somewhat enclosed with its dormer windows, so we decided to build up and out over the room below.”
Securing the plot
Roll back to 2016 and Matt had his eye on a large overgrown patch of land between houses in the couple’s North Essex village. Located just outside the development boundary, the site had a chequered planning history with eight refusals. However, Matt often wondered about the plot’s potential. He didn’t seriously start considering building there a viable option until the family outgrew their cottage with its small garden.
“I walked the dog past the site every day and often thought ‘what if...?’ but I only took the plunge when we discovered bigger houses in the area were out of our budget,” says Matt. “We didn’t want to move away, so I wrote to the landowner, asking if we could try for planning permission with first refusal to buy if we were successful.” However, the 1.5-acre site was too big for the Switzers alone, and the owner didn’t want to split the plot.
The mortgage company wouldn’t allow timber cladding on the oak build, so the couple decided to render the main part of the property and used painted cedar planks on the side section and the new extension