John and Donna Scarff enjoyed virtually every moment of their new-build bungalow project, tailoring the design to suit their requirements exactly – from a basement gym to a whole-house music system

WORDS KATHERINE SORRELL PHOTOS POLLY ELTES

When the prospect of getting planning permission for their new home in Benfleet, Essex, seemed hopeless, John and Donna Scarff decided that they were not going to give up. They prepared themselves for a battle, threw everything at the process and, eventually, their determination paid off. The result is an impressive brick-and-slate chalet bungalow – and one very happy family.

“I’d always dreamt of doing a self-build, and a plot of land came up adjacent to my parents’ back garden,” says John. “A few years ago, my dad became very ill, which meant that if Donna and I lived close by it would be a massive advantage. We decided to go for it.” The plot was down a private, unmade road, surrounded by woodland and a few houses. The Scarffs knew that obtaining planning permission would be problematic. The area had a history of failed applications and, via a pre-application enquiry, the council told them they would have no chance of gaining approval. One issue was the road that, thanks to years of tree overgrowth, was barely wide enough for a refuse lorry.

“We approached all the neighbours and told them what we were planning and why,” says John. “We hired a digger and a dumper to widen the entire road back to its original width, then had to resurface it 30m either side of our plot. It made a massive difference to the bumpy, uneven road.” The neighbours were very happy with the improvements to their area and, when the planners went to see the site, the street looked a lot more able to sustain a building project.

Firm plans

In terms of design, Donna and John knew from the outset that they wanted a traditional-style house with modern features. The frontage had to blend in with the existing street scene, so the couple opted for a chalet bungalow in classic brick and slate. At the back, however, they included wall-to-wall glass doors leading from a double-height living room to the garden, with a glazed gable above and a soaring cantilevered roof. Because of their small plot and ridge height limitations, they decided to add a large basement. “Thanks to my professional background, we knew it would be easy to build a basement, which we designed to fit a home gym and space for a pool table – things we’d always wanted,” says John. After visiting trade shows and investigating different products, materials and styles, they set out their layout on the plot and experimented with it to create a design that was practical and gave them what they wanted. The pair then went to an architect and got their hand-drawn plans converted into detailed drawings ready to submit to the councilz.