Frances and Tom Edwards took a holistic approach to their self build, thinking outside the box to reduce risk and minimise project costs without compromising on design and comfort

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN PHOTOS KATY DONALDSON

Above: The front door opens into a generous space rather than a tight corridor, leading to the living room in one direction and the kitchen in the other.

Left: Frances had the idea for the walnut room divider from the outset. The carpenter made the slats from solid walnut worktops

Frances and Tom Edwards pushed hard to achieve their self build goals. Their decision to take on the project came after the couple converted a former village post office and had twin girls – now eight – and needed more space. Frances wasn’t keen on moving far: “Tom felt we should build a big family home now while the kids were still young, which we could enjoy together,” she says. “I agreed, but only if we could find a plot close by.”

As a regional director for a global property design consultancy, one of Tom’s responsibilities is to technically appraise new sites for clients and bring them into the development cycle. He went about the search for their own plot in a similar way. “Finding a plot with planning that ticked all the boxes was a tall order, so I used Google Earth for an aerial view of land in and around our village,” he says. “The key was to find somewhere with a viable planning argument, being mindful of the village boundary and the local planning policy.”

In early February 2016, Tom found two acres of overgrown land along the main road into the village, flanked by mature trees and with good access. Crucially, part of the site sat inside the confines of the village boundary. The couple earmarked a third of an acre section, which would align their new property with existing houses on the other side of the road. “The boundary line dipped in and around the L-shaped site, and we would be smoothing off the development line with our new plot, giving us good leverage for planning,” says Tom.