One of the best parts of visiting readers’ houses for the magazine and attending the various self build and renovation shows across the country – including our own Build It Live events – is seeing the different design and practical solutions that go into making dream homes happen. They may be underpinned by the same learnings and commonsense approaches, but no two projects are ever quite the same.
A case in point is the number of people who take on old bungalows that are reaching the end of their natural lifespan. There are two schools of thought on this one: knock down and start from scratch so you can reap the rewards of a VAT-free self build; or get stuck into a total renovation. Head over to www.self-build.co.uk/crookshank and www.self-build.co.uk/wignall to see two of my favourite examples, which take competing approaches. We may have a new pretender to the throne this month, though – Amanda and Steven Ivil’s near-complete overhaul of a rundown 1960s bungalow (page 20) is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when you combine determined, forward-thinking renovators with a great architect.