Homebuilding & Renovating

Each year we’re amazed and humbled by the quality of the entries we receive for The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating Awards, and 2020 was no exception. This issue, a little later than anticipated, we’re revealing the winners — on page 25. It

Would you buy an air purification system that can be disguised as a piece of art? This is one of several innovations from the Future of the Home report, commissioned by global home lift company Aritco, which reveals the top innovations that we can ex

Following the huge success of Mad About the House: 101 Interior Design Answers, author and interiors expert Kate Watson-Smyth has released a little black book for organising a renovation. The journal-planner has pages dedicated to keeping track of a

We know that one-to-one conversations with experts can’t be beaten. The online Ask the Experts LIVE event, taking place from 9-12 March, gathers the UK’s leading self-build and renovation experts together in one place, and allows you to get specific

Original Style’s Black Flag slate flagstones are available in two sizes for the perfect country look. From £59.95/m2 .  The new Lotte Larder freestanding unit from Cox & Cox features antique pull knobs, five adjustable shelves and additional storage

Designed with built-in Amazon Alexa, Scavolini’s Dandy Plus range of intelligent kitchen, living room and bathroom furniture allows homeowners to create a truly connected living environment. Control appliances, speakers and lighting by voice, while k

Duravit’s Happy D.2 Plus washing area with LED mirror features a dimmer function and a light-colour memory setting so the lighting is always perfect, no matter the time of day. Make a statement with Walls and Floors’ Lily tiles in a bright and warm

Celebrating the achievements of self-builders, extenders and renovators for almost three decades, The Daily Telegraph and Homebuilding & Renovating have worked together to find the very best individual homes in the UK. Last year, like no other, has p

After years of living in Singapore, Philip and Elly Handley were ready to return to the UK and to build a life closer to their families. As first-time buyers with a limited budget, they kept an eye out for unloved projects with opportunities to exten

The single-storey home spans just 99m2 and makes the most of every nook and cranny. The extension to the front of the barn houses a master bedroom and en suite while the barn itself has been transformed into a living area. The external wall of the b

HOMEOWNER Clare Barr and Gordon Coomber PROJECT Barn conversion LOCATION Somerset BUILD COST £96,000 ARCHITECT Self designed When they bought the plot, Clare and Gordon’s home was nothing more than an empty hay barn with an adjoining tin cow shed. I

HOMEOWNERS Katherine and Jake Edgley PROJECT Open-plan self-build LOCATION Maidenhead BUILD COST £900,000 ARCHITECT Edgley Design This project brings together several generations of the same family — designed by Jake for his uncle, this project sits

HOMEOWNER George Bannister PROJECT Oak-frame extension and renovation of cottage plus conversion of a chicken house LOCATION Somerset BUILD COST £386,000 ARCHITECT Self designed/ BlackOak Well and truly a labour of love, George has transformed not o

HOMEOWNERS Alan and Melanie Williams PROJECT Masonry self-build LOCATION Hampshire BUILD COST £150,000 DESIGNER Self designed Experienced self-builders Melanie and Alan achieved this striking barn-style home on a modest budget by taking on much of t

HOMEOWNERS Richard Clayson and Lucy Dunn LOCATION East Sussex BUILD TIME Nine months SIZE 172m2 CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM Timber frame BARN COST £480,000 (2015) BUILD COST £310,000 CURRENT VALUE £850,000 As a youngster living in Cambridge, Richard

The central barn is now a spacious living area, with floor to ceiling glazing where the barn was originally open for cart access. The single storey cowshed now houses the kitchen, utility and plant room and the other outbuilding comprises the sleepin

HOMEOWNERS Camilla and Simon Monk PROJECT Renovation and extension of 18th-century cottage LOCATION Shropshire BUILD COST £120,000 ARCHITECT Architecture Ventures (designed by Camilla) Marrying an old cottage with contemporary features is tricky, bu

HOMEOWNERS Ash and Jess Alken-Theasby PROJECT ‘Hamptons’-inspired self-build LOCATION Cornwall BUILD COST £650,000 ARCHITECT Harrison Sutton Partnership Peggie’s, as this quintessential beach house is lovingly known, is named after Jess’ grandmother

HOMEOWNERS Mark and Adrienne Wheeler PROJECT Steel frame self-build LOCATION London BUILD COST £400,000 ARCHITECT Ike Obanya at Iketecture “A plot just 4.2m wide, on a steep slope on sticky London clay, crisscrossed with tree roots,” that’s how home

HOMEOWNERS Tony and Emma Cooke BUILD TIME 2016-2019 CONSTRUCTION METHOD Oak frame with structural insulated panels SIZE 303m2 (main house) and 134m2 (annexe and office outbuilding) LOCATION Dorset PLOT COST £373,000 BUILD COST £2,500/m2 VALUE

HOMEOWNERS Chris and Sarah Dale PROJECT Contemporary renovation and extension of previously converted barn LOCATION Devon BUILD COST £200,000 ARCHITECT Tim Offer Architects Chris and Sarah had outgrown their compact converted barn, but sill loved it

HOMEOWNERS Ed and Melissa Addington PROJECT Steel frame extension to 1930s house LOCATION London BUILD COST £380,000 DESIGNER Stylus Architects The renovation and extension of Ed and Melissa Addington’s 1930s home has been made possible through the

HOMEOWNERS Johann Perry and Charlotte Moore PROJECT Steel frame extension to a Victorian terrace LOCATION London BUILD COST £500,000 ARCHITECT Paul Archer Design A radical contemporary extension to their awkward end-of-terrace house on a triangular

• Structural know-how • Design ideas • Planning & Regs • Glazing and roof heights Extending to the side of your house is a smart way to boost living space. Taking this route offers the chance to add width to your home’s floorplan, without necessarily

• Planning applications explained • Top 20 renovation tips • Skirting boards: a buyer’s guide • Assembling a plot-finding team ■

If you want to extend your house, build an office in the garden, or build a new house, then you need to have planning permission. You either need to make a planning application or, if your scheme is for a small scale extension or outbuilding, you may

We bought our bungalow about five years ago with the idea of adding another storey in mind, like a few of our neighbours had. At the time we had a newborn and then later our second boy came along, so our build was always being put back. We got planni

Before you approach an architect or break ground with your renovation plans, spend time coming up with a comprehensive wishlist of what you want from your project — how you envisage the end result and what you think is a realistic budget. “We compile

While unlikely to be the key focal point in any room, skirting is a small yet important detail that has the potential to make or break your home’s décor. Originally conceived as a means of hiding the rough join between wet plaster walls and floors ar

Once you’ve found a potential building plot, the next step is to make sure its right for you. To do this you’ll need to appraise it, weigh up its pros and cons and make sure that it will support what you want to build. Appraising a plot is more compl

This prime building plot in a desirable area has planning permission in place for the construction of an executive 4-bedroom detached dwelling.  Planning permission is granted to build a three or four-bed property on this ex-smallholding in an area

After our oak frames and WrightWall encapsulation systems were erected by Oakwrights’ site teams, we were fighting against shorter days, cold temperatures and rain. As we were finishing the brickwork for our cottage, we found the scaffolding delayed

Got a burning question about your self-build, extension or renovation project that you need answering? Drop us a line by emailing homebuilding@futurenet.com and your question could be answered by one of our magazine experts. Q How do I get the prop

Q Is this a feasible system and if so is there anything we need to do or be aware of that we might not yet have considered? 1 One thing to say first is that SIPs might not be the cheapest option for an extension if you’re on a budget, so it might h

Q I really like the look of slate roof tiles but my budget won’t quite stretch to real slates. Are there man-made alternatives I could opt for? WILLIAM, BIRKENSTED Manufactured to a uniform size, colour and finish, man-made fibre-cement tiles ar

The year that we eventually did our extension turned out to be 2019. It took eight years to make an overnight decision. Apart from the building work, there was also the matter of what to do about the heating system. The old oil boiler had to go, as i

• Can a modern home be timeless?• Beautiful window seat ideas• How to add exposed steels• 2021 kitchen design trends ■

A timeless contemporary build... Sounds eloquently romantic and is a phrase we hear a lot at HB&R, but it’s an oxymoron. The word ‘timeless’ means something that ‘isn’t limited to a particular time in history’. The word ‘contemporary’ means ‘belongin

IMAGES (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): BROWN + BROWN; JEREMY PHILLIPS; DARREN CHUNG; JEREMY PHILLIPS; BENJAMIN MOORE; MALCOM MENZIES; SHARPS ■

Steelwork, in the form of both horizontal beams and vertical columns, is often vital to the structural integrity of your home, but it doesn’t have to be limited to a supporting role, either figuratively or literally. Exposing your steels can take a r

Forget pale and interesting — the latest kitchen designs are all about moody shades. Think forest greens, smoky and deep navy blues and rusty reds. Paired with metallics such as brass and copper these shades will have all the more impact. To avoid a

IMAGES: LIAM GARWOOD/DEVONPORT KITCHENS (1); JOHN KNIGHT GLASS AND DAVID GODFREY PHOTOGRAPHY (5) ■

There are many benefits to building your own home. It is an opportunity to create a unique home tailored around your lifestyle. It can be a route to creating a home that will adapt as your needs change, for instance accommodating wheelchair use. It a

Once you have purchased your plot there are a good number of steps you need to take before you can begin building your dream home… You’ll likely need a designer on board to help you formulate plans for your dream home. This might be an architect, an

Self-build is a broad church and there are many routes to getting an individual home built. However, generally speaking most self-builders choose one of the following routes: • Project managing the entire build themselves, including hiring and coordi

Despite chipping away at our post-war home for the last few months, our renovation has finally started in earnest beginning with a full rewire — meaning we have had to find temporary accommodation elsewhere… during a lockdown. Less than ideal. Howeve