A timber frame system has enabled Chris and Jenny Shepperd to achieve the high-performance forever home of their dreams

WORDS ANAMIKA TALWARIA

PHOTOS CAMILLA REYNOLDS

Retired couple Chris and Jenny Shepperd had been looking for a plot to build their forever home on for some time. “From our very first house, we’ve always added to and improved the places we lived,” says Jenny. “We were ready to leave the house we were in and start afresh.”

After living in Dorset for 25 years, the pair turned their eyes to the picturesque Cotswolds to be closer to their family.

They were searching for land that would enable them to construct the high-performance, low-energy abode they desired and happily found a plot on Rightmove. “When we walked onto it, we had a beautiful view of the village, and it was certainly big enough,” says Chris. After a discussion with the seller – now their neighbour – the couple sold their home and purchased the land and the paddock below. “It was a bit more than we had originally planned to take on, but it’s worked out well,” says Chris.

A combination of Cotswold stone and fibre cement cladding give this home a modern look that still blends into the surroundings.

The cantilevered balconies stretch out from beyond the upstairs bedrooms, overlooking the patio to give Chris and Jenny a constant outdoor connection

Initial obstacles

The pair knew there would need to be an archaeological survey before they could do any work on site. “It was actually why the plot was still on the market,” says Chris. “Warwickshire Council have put this condition on all new houses here, so the team had to come and dig up the plot to check what was underneath.” The discovery of an 11th century building suggests the Shepperds’ land was once a central hub for the village – much to the archaeologists’ excitement. “We just had to foot the bill,” he says.

Connecting to services and utilities was fraught with further delays. “We should have started everything earlier,” says Jenny. “But we didn’t realise how long it would take.” The main issue was trying to connect the drains. “Severn Trent were insisting that we dig a huge hole in the middle of a farmer’s field, but we just wondered where everyone else’s drains went,” says Jenny.