It’s awards season at Build It HQ, which means the team has spent the last few weeks sparring over which of the homes we’ve featured in the past year most deserve to be shortlisted for this year’s Best Self-Build or Renovation Project category. I think we have a stunning line-up – but it’s fair to say some fantastic schemes missed out and there were a few tense discussions as we whittled down the contenders (page 19). Log on to www.self-build.co.uk/vote to read more about the projects and help us choose the winner!
Of course, we’ve got some amazing schemes for you in this issue, too. Our cover house (page 30) is the pride and joy of Dennis and Maureen Stephens. They managed to secure consent to create a sustainable, low-maintenance home on a farmland plot after discovering it was slated to be included within their council’s Local Plan (a topic Mike Dade covers over on page 99). You can also tour Andrew Overin’s terraced London home, complete with a light-filled kitchen-diner extension (page 39), the first house on the Isle of Man to be designed according to passive house principles (page 46), a converted barn with an emotional history (page 53) and a vernacular new-build that’s split into three pods to give the impression of a farmhouse that’s been developed over time (page 60).