readers’ homes

After much back-and-forth with the planners, Graham and Diane Roberts built their oak frame home and a separate garage with guest accommodation on the car park of a former pub in Wales with glorious mountain views

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN

Building an oak frame house was never in doubt for Graham and Diane Roberts, who were downsizing from a large house in the USA and relocating to retire in Wales where they’re both originally from. “Oak frame was on the cards from the beginning for the simple reason we’d been living in America for the last thirty years and had got used to timber frame houses,” says Graham. “We like that they’re quick to put up and extremely energy efficient. However, visually, they can look a bit ordinary. The character and visual impact of oak appealed to us, as well as the way it fits into rural settings.”

The couple’s project began when one of their twin daughters, Lucie, who’d already relocated to Wales with her husband and children, decided to take on a renovation. The extended family wanted to join forces. Their goal was to find a property project for Lucie and her husband, with land for Graham and Diane to build their own home. “We were still living in the USA when I spotted a grade II listed pub online with incredible views of the Black Mountains and Wye Valley,” Graham explains. “There was potential for Lucie to convert the pub into a charming house while the car park at the back looked big enough for us to build our home. The project meant we’d be able to live as a family but have our own space, and we bought the property in late 2015.”

Planning hurdles

The former pub is on the edge of a rural village near Hay-on-Wye and had no close neighbours. The old beer garden sat between the building and the car park, which measured 16m wide by 30m long, with street access and a connection to the utilities. However, with no planning permission to build a house, the purchase came with risks. “The location of the plot is outside the village envelope and we knew planning could refuse a new build home, which they did at first,” says Graham.“Our back-up plan was proposing an annexe belonging to my daughter’s house, which we ended up doing.” Graham knew the pub’s grade II listed status, with its roots as far back as the 16th-century, would also be tricky to navigate in their planning application. Before progressing too far with an oak frame design, he sketched out a rough drawing. He showed the two-storey house to the planner and listed buildings officer at an informal meeting on site. “They instantly rejected the idea,” says Graham. “Although the pub had been extended with a double-storey addition in the 1980s, the local planning authority insisted the new build couldn’t be higher than the original 1600s single-storey room. Even though there would have been reasonable space between the old and new buildings, they were insistent our new home wasn’t allowed to be seen from the road.”