In self building their eco home on a Lakeland smallholding, Rick and Angie Cross have developed a far more sustainable lifestyle

WORDS HEATHER DIXON PHOTOS DAVE BURTON

Rick and Angie Cross’s smallholding is what Rick would call a “long-term work in progress”. His 2.5 acres of quiet land, nudging beautiful countryside and with Scottish lowlands visible on the horizon, provide a valuable insight into renewable resources and giving something back. _eir homestead is primarily community-focussed, promoting rainwater harvesting, organic fruit and vegetable planting, animal breeding, wildlife conservation and recycling.this is interwoven with sustainable education and activities centering on the importance of community and collaboration – with Rick and Angie’s eco home at its core. Their Cumbrian house, designed by Andrew Yeats of Eco Arc, is a highly insulated, triple-glazed, solar-water-heated family home built in the characteristic Lakeland colours of white and grey – with a touch of Scandi thrown in. It’s a far cry from Rick’s initial tongue- in-cheek vision of a rustic “shack”, but the end result is strikingly simple and a modest example of the way in which great eco design can be less futuristic and blend seamlessly into its surroundings.

The house is finished in white and grey to refl ect the typical colours of Lakeland homes. A deep verandah and prominent roof overhangs give the abode its striking character and elements of Scandinavian style

Sheltered from the road, the eco build fronts a 2.5-acre smallholding where the couple have constructed an open barn, sheds, fences and even a yurt, using reclaimed timber

”I look at the site as a whole ecological system “

A lifestyle change

This humble new house is the complete antithesis of Rick and Angie’s previous home, a larger Victorian semi with plenty of character typical of the period and beautiful proportions – but which sapped energy through its poor draughty windows and inadequately insulated walls.

“We had both been raised in older houses and gradually renovated our previous property while the children were growing up, but once they left home we realised we didn’t need all that space,” says Rick. “We started looking for somewhere else but I was keen to find somewhere with land so we could plant trees and grow vegetables – but there was nothing available.”