A BOLD MOVE

John Verrall and Jacques Bland have created a striking oak frame home that sits comfortably in the Sussex countryside

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN PHOTOS ALISTAIR NICHOLLS

John Verrall and Jacques Bland both grew up in West Sussex and know the area well. When they viewed this plot in summer 2012, Jacques realised the place looked familiar. “I used to sit on the top deck of the school bus and look over the hedge at this house, wishing we had a swimming pool like they did, ” she says. “I never thought I’d be living here one day.”

The couple were drawn to the property’s five acres, rather than the 1930s house that stood on it, which in winter needed towels wedged around the windows to keep out the cold. John and Jacques were keen to self build, but this wasn’t a plot for the faint hearted. Besides the lack of planning permission for a new house, they also needed to deal with a set of concrete outbuildings used as greyhound kennels that had been built with asbestos and needed removing.

Big ideas

Despite the challenges, John never doubted their decision. “The site was a mess and I knew that the planners would want to see it cleared up, ” he says. “At the very least I was confident we’d be able to replace the house like for like, plus the additional space we could have created through an extension under permitted development.”

Having stepped down from running his haulage and plant hire business, John wasted no time getting ideas together. He sketched out a rough floorplan before the sale had even completed. From the off, the couple were sure they wanted an oak frame home. “We disagree a lot but we never argued about the house as we both have the same taste, ” says Jacques. “We like Sussex barn conversions, so our design combines this with modern technology and materials.”

THE VERRALL & BLAND FILE

NAMES John Verrall & Jacques Bland

OCCUPATIONS Budding property developers

LOCATION Steyning, West Sussex