The Golden Triangle

A collaborative approach helped one couple transform a 1980s bungalow into their dream home – on time and on budget

The south-west facing triple-glazed patio doors and tiled floor inside and out combine to make this sunny spot a warm place to sit all year round

HOME TRUTHS

THE PROPERTY: A detached house with a connected annex. Open plan living area, four to five bedrooms, and four bathrooms

LOCATION: Forest Row, East Sussex

OWNERS: Mark Sewell, founder of a technology company and Eunice Locher, who runs a pottery school

There’s an old adage that you can’t have a self-build that comes in on time, on budget, with a highquality finish – one of those things always has to give. Well, Mark Sewell and Eunice Locher might just have proven that wrong, converting their Scandia Hus bungalow into a detached house in less than a year for just £375,000, and all to an incredibly high standard.

Returning to the UK after living in Australia and Portugal, Mark and Eunice were looking for a plot that would enable them to build an ‘open-plan, inside-outside’ home like those they had enjoyed overseas. The first thing the estate agent showed them was a Scandia Hus bungalow that had been built by its now deceased owner in the 1980s. “I stood at

the gate and said, ‘Not in a million years’,” laughed Eunice. “I was horrified. It was overgrown and neglected – and the thought of a bungalow at our age was just too much, so I kept looking.” Ten months later, she came back and, this time, made it past the gate. “It was a lightbulb moment,” she said. “It was very run down, but it was south-facing, on a lovely road, and right on the edge of the Ashdown Forest – I suddenly realised it was a winner.”

Having secured the plot, the couple hired local architect Adam Penton, whose work reflected the contemporary style they were looking for, but their brief was more a list of things they didn’t want, than things they did. Having lived in the bungalow, they had come to hate the sauna-style pine cladding used throughout, the low light levels, the clipped views of the surrounding landscape, and the boxy Mark and Eunice were looking for an ‘open-plan, inside-outside’ home like those they had enjoyed overseas

The south-west facing triple-glazed patio doors and tiled floor inside and out combine to make this sunny spot a warm place to sit all year round

layout. “Our brief to Adam was simply to transform it,” said Eunice. “We wanted something modern that was easy to live in, but beyond that, we left it up to him.” Adam’s scheme takes advantage of the bungalow’s L-shaped floorplan by connecting the two wings with a triangular open-plan living area, that opens onto the south-westerly garden, and includes a first-floor master suite. “I liked the idea of this quirky triangle thing,” said Eunice.

At a pre-application meeting with the local planning department, Adam presented an ambitious plan that included everything they might ever want to do. Not surprisingly, the council raised concerns, but with a few tweaks, the plan sailed through; its first floor addition having been carefully considered with a low roofline that didn’t overlook the neighbours. Planning approved, Mark and Eunice moved into

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Mark and Eunice originally wanted to render over the original brick, but their architect was able to use larch cladding to connect the various parts of the final house into a visually cohesive whole

We just had so much stuff – slimming it down felt like a weight off our shoulders

LOUNGE/TV ROOM/SNUG Mark’s brother-in-law sourced most of the mid-century furniture for the TV room or ‘snug’. Most of the couple’s art is by friends and the cushions are by the couple’s daughter Lara Gorlach

A word from the Architect:

“Our approach to the environmental question is to conserve energy with passive features, before we start adding in clever gadgets. This house is insulated well beyond building regulation standards; it’s triple glazed throughout, the southwesterly facing patio doors ensure plenty of solar gain and the tiled floor absorbs all that heat and radiates it out again as the room cools. Bolt-on eco-features tend to get cut as soon as the budget gets tight, but considerations like these will stay in this building forever.”

Adam Penton

The master-suite is timber-framed too, but uses steel in its roof and super-structure and is clad in zinc

Mark’s garden office, which enabled them to stay on site throughout the build.

Working with Nick Weller as the main contractor, Adam oversaw the extension, which used the same stick timber frame as the original construction, clad with Siberian Larch as a foil to the original brick. The master-suite is timber-framed too, but uses steel in its roof and super-structure and is clad in zinc. This cantilevered section provides not only an architectural feature that modernises the exterior of the house, but also a balcony where Mark and Eunice can enjoy their

KITCHEN Mark and Eunice had two of the original windows moved to make them symmetrical

morning coffee. Details such as the triangular windows tucked into the eaves add character.

The original bungalow was triple-glazed and Adam continued this throughout the new parts of the building, reinsulating, sound-proofing and reskimming all the walls. “The bungalow did have some clever details, but it took Adam pointing out how cool things like the windows were for me to realise that,” laughed Eunice. “I wanted to replace the windows, but I’m glad Adam talked me around.” The addition of a separate annex tucked away at the far end of the house provides somewhere for their grown-up children to stay.

When it came to furnishings, it was a case of less is more. “We were really keen that this house had no clutter,” explained Eunice. “We now just have the pieces that really mean something to us. It sounds terrible, but we even pared back family photographs. We just had so much stuff – slimming it down felt like a weight off our shoulders.” Those items the couple have kept are carefully chosen and perfectly placed; a bespoke dining table made by friends of their son, an enviable collection of mid-century furniture supplied by Mark’s brother-in-law, cushions by their daughter and art by their friends. Eunice’s muchreduced pottery collection is now artfully displayed. “I love ceramics and this is the perfect place to dot my collection around. I am constantly changing them and always thinking about how lovely they look – that means everything to me.”

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Start with reasonable expectations, find a good team and live on site

Its quality is in no doubt, so just how did they bring it in on time and on budget? “Start with reasonable expectations, find a good team and live on site. The secret is not to try to screw anyone over – everyone has to make a profit, so finding a win-win situation for everyone is what makes it a success,” advised Mark. “We also made a point of giving positive feedback to the whole team at the end of every week,” smiled Eunice. “That and bringing them treats.” l

Photography: Bruce Hemming Writer: Katie Treggiden