Richard and Katie Spencer have achieved a long-held ambition to create a contemporary Passivhaus property for their family

WORDS KAREN WILSON PHOTOS KATIE LEE

FACT FILE

NAMES Richard & Katie Spencer

OCCUPATIONS Building services engineer/sustainability specialist & doctor

LOCATION Leeds

TYPE OF PROJECT Self build

STYLE Contemporary

CONSTRUCTION METHOD Wide cavity-wall masonry, render & timber cladding

PROJECT ROUTE Commissioned architect & builder, homeowner project managed

LAND COST £426,624

BOUGHT June 2015

HOUSE SIZE 202m2 (incl. garage)

PROJECT COST £362,200

PROJECT COST PER M2 £1,793

TOTAL COST £785,124

VAT RECLAIM £3,700

BUILDING WORK COMMENCED November 2016

BUILDING WORK TOOK 17 months

CURRENT VALUE £650,000

After six fruitless months of house hunting, Richard and Katie Spencer had almost given up. It was at this point that they discovered a three-bedroom detached 1950s home with a large garden in the sought-after Roundhay area of Leeds. “I’d been interested in low energy buildings for a long time and had been looking for something to extend and retrofit,” says Richard. “As the main facade was south-facing, this dwelling lent itself to a conversion that harnessed energy from the sun.” However, it quickly became apparent that the 105m2 abode was too narrow to achieve the Spencers’ desired layout and that knocking it down and rebuilding would be a better option. “It had single glazed aluminium windows with thin glass, uninsulated cavity walls and an ancient boiler. It wasn’t really worth preserving,” says Richard. “Creating a new home from scratch would give us much more certainty regarding the energy performance.”

Richard fitted the units from DIY Kitchens himself. He’s incorporated a swing-out pantry unit and a couple of pull-out units to maximise storage

Forming a strategy

Katie and Richard settled on self building a new home, with the backup option of a substantial retrofit if planning permission wasn’t granted. With three other potential buyers interested in the property, the Spencers decided to put in an offer of £426,624 – significantly more than the £399,000 guide price – via a sealed bid. “Even though it was going to be a long-term home, we didn’t want to end up too far under water,” says Richard. “Luckily our bid was successful. There was less than £1,000 between us and the next offer.” After buying the property in June 2015, many months of research were needed, given Richard hadn’t expected to go down the self build route. The couple and their daughters, Eliza, 10, and Bridget, seven, were in the lucky position of being able to stay in their fourbedroom 1930s semi in nearby Moortown, as relatives had lent them the money to buy this new property. They intended to fund the project by selling another house they owned in Hull, cashing in some shares and remortgaging their existing home.