Grand Designs Magazine Crossway Diary Pages

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n nr'] withtheir Richard andSophieH :\A/Lcq aro -^ni plansfor a groundbreaking eco home.Next!p, they p annng process tacklethe all-irnportant

Planning permission is the processthat st kes fear into the heart ofevery self-builder;it'sr,,'hen your carefullycrafteddreamscan be dashedthanks to the decisionsofa bunch ofstrangers. As an architect,however,I've had more expedenceofthe planning processthan your avcrageself builder so I \\'asoptimistic that this would hold us in good stead.lf theresone thing Ive leamed over the years,it's that there'sno substitutefor putting in plcnty of legwork - the more you ask questionsand lislen to the advice youie given.the lesschanceyour plans will be rejected. With that in mind,I carefullyput togethera pre-applicationenquiryra 22-pagedocument showingphotos ofthe plot and detailingwhat we plannedto build and where. Becausewe wanted to replacethe existingbungalowwith a t\,vostorey house.l needcdto reassurethe plannersthat the new property wouldn't further obslrLrctany vie\ ,s ofthe countryside. As part ofthis process,I invited the plannersto visit the site to get a beLteridea of our plans.lt uas all very informal - the planningomcer spenta coupleofhours u'ith me, walking the vadous sjght lines and looking at the drawingsand scale models.By this time, I had already refinedthe designa number of times and $'as on my eighth model - I wasnt leavinganthing to chancel We soon receivedan informal ietler from the planning department stating that they were in favour of the scheme,in principle.The first of the hurdleshad beencleared- norv for the neighbours! Theresno getting awayftom the lact that the peoplewho live closest to yourplot are bound to havean opinion on what vouie planoing.lve

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approachedthe two setsof neighbourswho live next to our site and talked them through the plans, emphasisingexactlywhat ne'd done to minimise the impact on their properties.For example,on one elevationofour housethere wont be any windows,so when our neighbourlooks out ofhis house over the surroundinglandscapeat night, he rvont be able to seeany of the lights from our house.The feedbackwe receivedfrom them was positiveso we submittedthe planning applicationin f,r11. And then the problemsstarted... Other neighbourssubmitted objectionsto the plans;some of them were scepticalabout what $'e were trying to achieve.I think they felt that we werejumping on the greenbandwagonas away to try and get our plans approved. The neighbourswerent the only onesto havediffering opinions about our house.At the parish council opinionswere split but the resultnas in favourofa refusal, meaning the schemewould haveto go beforea planning committee at th€ boroughcouncil if we were to get approval.Our project was fast turning into a Marmite houseyou either loved or hated it. So.I was due to havemy three minutes of fame-This was my chanceto stand up beforethe committee and wa\ iyrical about the rvonderfulhousewe hopedto buiid, allthe time knowing that they could put an end to ourplans in an instant. After Ia spoken,I had to sit and listen to the committee discussing our plans.And evenif some ofth€ things th€y were sayingwere inaccurate,Iwasnt allowedto speak up andput them ight. Than_klily,I must havebeen convincingbecause, after a short while. they gaveus permissiontbere and then.

Cue hugesighsof reliefall round. \\rith our babv on the way, rvork on the site couldnt beginsoon enough. Seeingthe odginal bungalorvbeing demolishedand the site being clearcdmade me realisethat we're well on the rvayto realisingour dreams,e\.enifthere are a few more hurdlesto clear beforewe cross that linishing lin€. IntervlewB€thMyers the Auoust bsue of GDil,

above,flom top Rcfrardand Sophe wth Kevn lvlccold out wth tlteoldasftre gets lrLrngalow d,arnoshedand workcanbegn n earneslrlnls TiOCk !P dernonstrates llsr nowraoca Rchdrds desgn rs

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permission, Havinggainedplanning Richard andSophie Hawkesinnovalve ecoiome isbegirringlo rakeshape As someone who takes pride in their planningskllls,it s alrratsgoocl 'rr,hena rycll-orqirniscdsr:henre stafts conrinq toqethet and scvcrnl monthsin thc build is progressinq $ ell.lJuttherearesomethiDssin lilc that no nrallerho\\'muchvou plan lirl ncvcrhappcnon lhe clav thtl the\, re supposedto. Casein poinf'1Ournewbornbab\',Oscar. Trvorr,cclsaler Sophiesdue ditte,thcre$'asslill no signofhim arri!ing so we lvent aheadh-ith a dav.sfilming 1orCrardDesl.Er.s. Kevin \'lcClouclanclthe crov arrived on sitcand \\'eall gol stuckinto bLrildin{a mini timbrclarch to heh dcmonslratehow the technique rvouldwofk on thc actllalhouse. Oncccompleled.(nrr{oLlr-foot \ridc ilnd hro-1bothigh scalcrnoclelrrrade liom chv tilesu,orLld bc turncdinto a mini chickencoop :llonqside the hotrs-..llrere \\'os a great cflbrt liom aLlandthc finishc.ldesisnu'iLs biq enolqh fbr Kevinand I to strnd on.lt \\!rkcd - much to Kevins surprise.llrenI decidcLltostind on it by m)sclfrnd lill strriq hlt hf ough, all ol which n'ascau{ht on carrL'fa oi coLlrscl I qLless \r'e'llha\'eto lind a nervlronretrr the chickcns. Allthis cxcilL'rnenl nrlrsthitve beerrtoo rnuchld-the babvas hc finallvdccidedthrt rltef Inissinghis deiLdhne it \\'asabouttimc he qol irr on thc rcl. S()l)hie \\'entinto labour Iaterthat njeht-dthough thiurktrlh rlter the'l V camerashad lcli - I m not surewe \\,antcdbab\'Osaafto makc hisT\- debLrtquite that earl\l So no$'$'ercbackin tht' caravan,on a bllilding sjte,\\.ith a nerrborn bLrbv in to\\',1msurethal sentence 1\ould fill most peoplewith drcad.blrt \\,ithout\1,anLrlrg lo soundtoo smuq, it.sbeengoinguell. Its amazinglo be on sitc seeing(rLlrhoLlse cotring togelheron a dailvbasis.and living

alrove EabyOscar hastinallyarrived lett Theshuttering for the pouringof lrelowOff-cuts ofthegraphi te super.insulating

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lherenleons\ra'getto spendmorc timc toqetherthrn before. As lof llle hoLrse, there-\beena lot goinson blrt mosll\ Llnderground. \\'ith the siteclcared.a largediggcr dug a hro loot deephole$here the house\riLisit,and \\,eusedthe wisle eiLrllrto ( realesomelarge banking,$'hichwillbc plantcdto shieldthe arealher'e u e'llpulk the car-s so thet'cant be seenfrom the rcitd. \\'e ve also installedthe rainr!atcrharYesl ing svstem, under-grounddrainagcand scnsors ibr our buildingmonitoringsystems. Sintilar sensolsu'ill be fittecl\\'ithrn thc concrctcslab,\r'Lrlls anclr'o01.s t0 nronitorthe themralpcrlbrmanccof

thc bLrilclinq.mini on-sitcNcrthcr station\rillcnabledatr lo be collcctedand checkedagainst relative$ eathercondltions.lt .\ clcverstufl- almostasil\rere allorlrngthe bLrildirrq to talk to us. \\Je|e alsoinstallcdinsulalion undcrthe conareteslabto makc sureoLlrhomeis thcrrnallrefllcient. choosing:15{)rnrrr ol graphilesuper insulatingpolvstl'rcnc.\Vc-vehe-"n ablc to recvclethe oilcuts on the colder.north sideoflhe buildingtc) go rp lhe sideol the lloor slab.Its a bettcruscof lhe Nastematerial than sendin{it offto a land-fillsilc. RecvcledproducLshavealso gone to gooduseior the concretcslab.

l)roducedlrorn 50 per (ent \\'este nlilterial it s roLlghhthf samc pricc:rsstandardconcrelel)lrI lar more eco fricndh,.h tcmrs of perlbrnance.it s slililrtlvweaker bLltasthc malerialisusecialot in roirclnnrlbridgebLrilcling, I figure its goingto bc plcntvslroD€!cnough to be Isecilbf our floor sli1b. \\'ith eventhing lltlling into placc, we'rejllst aboutreadvlor lhe arrilal oflhc timbcr liame,\rhich is rvhen our home reallv beginsto take shape.No$,wheresthat book on meetjng deadliDes?I \,e llot some bcd-tjmcrcadinglo d(r\r,ilhOscar... Catchthe next instalmentinthe October lssueof GD t

AUGUST 2OO8 DESIGNS / GRAND / I4S

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Thearrival of thetimberframemarksthenextohase of Richard andSophieHawkes'exciting ecoprolect I've lost count ofhow many times 'I ve had pinch to myselfrecently, just to make sure that the house taking shape in front of us is actua.lly real.So much has happenedon site in such a short spaceof time that every day somethingnewhas been added or built. I keep looking around in utter amazementat what we'recreating,and I can't quite believethat we'regoing to be living in it beforetoo long. Thingsreally started to move lbrward on a Sundayafternoon slx weeksago,when the timber frame turned up lrom Polandon the back ofa truck Our fantastic carpenters, Richardand Tresham,also arrived liom Dorset.settingup home on a nearbycampsiteso theycould erect the fiame at lightning speed.'Ihey got to work so fast, in fact. that by the end ofthe first week I couldnt stop muttedng flippin heck' at how much theya achieved. By the end ofweek three,the roof had started to go on and some of the intemal partitions were up, meaning I was able to wander round inside the houseand get a real feel fbr the sizeofthe rooms and the overalllayout.One ofmy favourite spots so far has been standingin the lounge looking through the huge openingthat willbe the main window. Once the tempoEry supports and scaffoldingare removedit will feelincredible in this area,with full-height,frameless triple glazingtaking up a third ofthe space.The first time I got a sense ofthe outlookfrom this room,I felt like moving in there and then! Weve also been able to climb up to the top floor ofthe house,to what will become the play declc Its such a noveltybeing able to seethe countrysidefiom this elevated position and it's given us a whole

newperspectiveofthe site.And I'm pleasedto saythat the vlews across the fields are even more incredible than we imagined theywould be. I was always hopeful that the housewould look inconspicuousin this beautifii landscapeand, fingers crossed.so far so good.I often hear cyclistsand walkers chatting about it as theygo by and, thankfully, they all sound like very positive comments,Some ofthem have even stoppedto take a closerlook at the house,a.llof which makesme incrediblyproud that our project is generatingso much interest. With everythingticking over so well. we felt comfortable leaving it all in the hands ofour team and going on holiday for a couple of

weeks.It felt strangeto be away from the site for so long as it's become such an integral part ofour lives. What a surprisewe had when we finallyreturned: the curvesfor the top ofthe arch had been formed and we could clearlyseethe complete shapeofthe house.Justfive hours a-fterwe arrived home, there was the familiar sight ofthe camera crew lrom Grand Designs,who came to film the first tiles beinglaid on the arch. For me. it's goingto be one ofthe most excitingparts of the project, so I think I m probably going to be pinching myselfa few more times yet. Catch the next lnstalment in the December ls.$e of GDM

OCTOBER 2OO8/ DESIGNS GRAND /I7I

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Trade

. Balh Myers

TViliary home Withthetimberframefinished, thecentral archof Richard Hawkes'eco

runassmoothly asplanned? isreadyto betiled.butwilltheprocess Ifthere's one thingl'm realising duringlhis projecl,it'st.haton the rare occasionsthat somethinll doesnt quite go accordingto plan, you can guaranteeit will happenon t.heday the TV camerasare here Lo capturc it in all its glory. \{brk had beenprogressingat a Iate ofknots on the central arch. h.ith hvo teams laying the cldy tiles at opposite€nds,graduallylforking towards each other to meet in the middle. lhe firsl layer oftiles, \^rhich $'ill form the ceiling in the upper floor ol the house,was completed a few daysago,marking the climax of a great deal oi planning and skilled 'lr'ork.It looks incrediblefrom insidc the house,\aith lhe soirring, double heighl.spacesnoN cleartosee. Kcr,inMcCloud:rnclthe rest ofthe G,.ardrcstgrs crew were on site to check up on our progressand u,e $.ereall admiring the handirvorkof our building team \ ,hen there \\'as irn almighty crash from behind usUnfortunatel)'.some ofthe arch that rvaslelt as a singlelaver over a verv rainy weekendcollapsedonto thc safetydeckjust below.Thats the thing with this technique,itt jncrediblvstrongonc€all threelayers oftiles arecomplete,bul untilthen vou havc to treat it like lace.About 15per cent ofthe surfaceareaofthe

a vaull had lo be rebuilt,leaving sizeablesliceofthe roof open once again.Bul as Kevin said stoicallyat the time, thesethings can happen $ith new lechniqueswhereyou havc to lcarn as you Floalong. lhere's no instruction manual with easv-tolbllow, step by step instructions and wejust haveto be very graleful lhat no one lvas injur€d. Theupshotofthe accidentis that its added about a week to olu vault build schedule.Ithasn't hampered the rest ol lhe build, hou,evcr,as inside the houseweie been filling the wall cavitieswith insulalion made lrom recyclednewspaper-A smallhose1edinto the wall pumps this material into the cavity at a \.crYhigh pressureto ensureit's as denselypackedas possible.on close inspection ofour insulation we catch glirnpsesof arlicles u'rittcn in Czech- it turns out that the company that makesthis product has found that it's so popular its having to import recycl€dpaper lrom abroad to mcct demand! Another exciting event over Lhe past fev lveekswas the arrir.alof our high-spec,frameless,triple glazing.Il's an incredjbl€product, and I believeits one ofthe llrst timesit.sbeenusedin the UK A local farmer volunteeredto bring his

lracloralongand helpus lill lhe windolr,sof the lorrv r.hcn thcv arrived from Austria, an offer $e $'eregrateful to accept,especially when we realisedtherewasnl.anv lifting gearon thc lorrr After a little head scratchingsomeonesuggested using a clever suction pad lhat $'as on the back ofthe lorry to help oilload the windorvsand then manoeuwe them into place,Cue a few tensemoments ds I \\'aLched one ofthe ibur massiveunils lor the ljvingroom beinghoisledinto th€

air It \,ould ha\,ebecn an expensi\r mistake il its 220k9$.eighthad fallen from the suction pad. Therervereno such prohlemsanc all the units fittcd smootl iD the -y frames,with the Austrian compan\ tellingme the househad beenbLriLt perlectly - high praiseindeedl Fingerscrossedthe rest ofthe burlcr goesas smoothly as this. although the camerasare due back soon scr rvho knon's u'hat might happenl Catchthe next Instalmentin the Februaryissueof GDM

top Installingthe triple glazingwas

rlght an.l far rlght Thetop lloor of t he hous ei s a spectacularspace nowthat the tiled archis nearly

D E C E I\48E 2OO8/GR R A N D E S l C \S I43