Homebuilding & Renovating

Having the chance to take an unloved or dated property and transform it into a home that is perfectly tailored to your needs can be an incredibly rewarding process, but getting your hands on the right project in the first place can take a bit of groundwork. To give you a headstart, this month we’ve put together our guide to finding your ideal renovation project (page 66). Whether it’s determining what would make a good renovation or how to work out what you should invest in it, there are lots of useful tips on finding the best property with the most potential. If extending is a key part of your renovation plans, we’ve got plenty to whet your appetite with our advice on working with a designer (page 107), a…

JO MESSENGER Our assistant editor has worked on a number of leading homes magazines. “The owners, Andrew and Elizabeth, turned a collection of dilapidated farm buildings into a new home” TIM O’CALLAGHAN As founding director of Nimtim Architects, Tim has been practising since 2008. “Cork is so tactile and was simple to attach both inside and outside the new blockwork walls of the extension — providing an unbroken, textured finish” REBECCA NOKES Rebecca is design director at John Lewis of Hungerford. “Built-in seating provides the perfect way to zone your dining area and create a broken-plan layout. It saves on space and you can incorporate extra storage, such as drawers, within the base to hide away essential kitchen equipment” “Use studwork to hide pipework and create space for alcove shelving.…

Off-the-shelf homes Baufritz UK, supplier of prefabricated homes, has launched a limited off-the-shelf range of turnkey houses known as Signature Homes. The houses come in two designs — buyers can choose between a barn-style property with rustic charm and a grand, contemporary villa. Each comes in three sizes – medium, large and extra large – and while the external dimensions, layout, floor heights and positions of the windows are predefined, the rest can be tailored to the buyers’ wishes. All houses are fitted with state-of-the-art technology and meet the highest energy-efficiency requirements, coming equipped with mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems (MVHR) and an air-source heat pump as standard. Plus, Baufritz will manage the entire project, from foundations to fit-out. Find out more at baufritz.com/uk HOT COMBO Aga’s new Era…

Running from September 27–29, the Homebuilding & Renovating Show is the ultimate event for self-builders and home improvers. The show offers a wealth of inspiration and expert advice to help you turn your dream home into a reality. With your two free tickets* you’ll gain access to invaluable resources and countless ideas to kick-start or enhance your project and ensure a successful renovation. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Building, renovating or extending your home can be a rewarding yet challenging experience and the Homebuilding & Renovating Show provides you with the confidence and tools you need, offering access to experts, and a wide range of exhibitors. You can get the answers to your pressing questions, from making an old house energy efficient to achieving a stunning design and choosing the perfect glazed…

OAK FRAME NEW BUILD LOCATION North Herefordshire HOUSE TYPE Oak frame barn-style new build SIZE 202m² CONSTRUCTION Green oak frame, SIPs faced in stone and larch, with standing seam metal roof BUILD ROUTE Custom build BUILD TIME 14 months TIMELINE Demolition/clearanceAPRIL 2022 FoundationsMAY 2022 Services installedJUNE 2022 Oak frame erectedEARLY JULY 2022 SIPs, roof and timber frameLATE JULY 2022 Floor structures, roof, airtightness wrapping, first fixAUGUST 2022 Claddings, glazing and roof coveringsNOV 2022 PV panels and second fixMARCH 2023 Dry lining and flooringAPRIL 2023 Decorating doneMAY 2023 Joinery, kitchens, bathrooms fittedEARLY JULY 2023 LandscapingLATE JULY 2023 Creating forever homes for their clients has become second nature to the team at Border Oak, so when the company had the rare opportunity to build a home to their own specifications, they applied…

HOMEOWNERS Andrew and Elizabeth Ransom LOCATION Wyck Rissington, Gloucestershire HOUSE TYPE Conversion of a Dutch barn and surrounding agricultural buildings with four bedrooms HOUSE SIZE 460m² BUILD ROUTE Project managed by main contractor plus subcontractors CONSTRUCTION Timber frame within existing/modified steel structure and stone BUILD TIME 27 months BUILD COST Approx £3,000/m² TIMELINE Original conceptSUMMER 2015 Pre-planning submissionSPRING 2016 Planning submissionOCTOBER 2016 Outline Planning approvalDECEMBER 2016 Construction plans and 3D computer modelJAN – OCTOBER 2017 Disassembly of steel portal building and removal of hopperAPRIL 2017 Builders arrive on site for preliminary workNOVEMBER 2017 Cart shed side completeAPRIL 2019 Dutch Barn and Link completeJULY 2019 Hard landscaping completeNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 Basic garden planting completedJUNE 2020 After retiring, Andrew and Elizabeth Ransom were perfectly happy living in the Grade II-listed farmhouse they had…