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Jan 22, 2025 | 
self-build.co.uk | Caroline Ednie |Debbie Jeffery |Rebecca Foster |Louise Parkin
When Linda and Vic bought a 1980s bungalow on the outskirts of Glasgow, they were keen to retain the spirit of the original building, with its prominent double gables on the front facade. However, its small, dark rooms and poor energy efficiency was a far cry from the sustainable, light-filled, open plan they envisaged. “The house was built in 1985 and hadn’t been changed since then, but we could see its potential,” says Linda.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
self-build.co.uk | Debbie Jeffery |Rebecca Foster |Caroline Ednie |Louise Parkin
“We’d never tackled any kind of building work before buying this house, so taking on such a major renovation was daunting, but we were convinced of the potential to create something special,” says Krystelle Floyd-Wass, who purchased a run-down detached 1930s house in 2020 with her husband, Ed.At first sight, the mock Tudor four-bedroom property was less than inspiring.
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
self-build.co.uk | Rebecca Foster |Louise Parkin |Debbie Jeffery |Caroline Ednie
Buy Magazine Now Back Issues Online Build It Live Shows Log In Or With several completed projects already under their belts, including a self build and two barn conversions, Mike and Jo Dowland are no strangers to the highs and lows of running their own building schemes. “By doing the hard work ourselves, we have always been able to live in houses that we wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise,” says Jo. Their latest project, the conversion and extension of a rundown agricultural...
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Jan 22, 2025 | 
self-build.co.uk | Louise Parkin |Jane Crittenden |Rebecca Foster |Caroline Ednie
Self building was never part of the plan for Rod and Trudy Molyneux when they decided to move out of the city in search of a greener, quieter place to call home. They had been living in a semi-detached house in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne for 10 years, but the small garden and fast pace no longer suited the way they wanted to live. “We always knew we wanted to move out of the city again eventually to go back to having more space and greenery,” says Rod.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
self-build.co.uk | Jane Crittenden |Caroline Foster |Rebecca Foster |Louise Parkin
After a fire destroyed their thatched cottage, Len & Yvonne Rose tackled their first self build scheme, creating a modern, chalet-style home on the same plot as their old house Len and Yvonne Rose had no intention of taking on a self build until 2021, when a fire broke out in their West Sussex thatched cottage and destroyed it. “We had nothing but the clothes we were wearing. We had to move into our daughter’s bungalow next door,” says Yvonne. “But we’re in our 80s and couldn’t dwell on what...
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
self-build.co.uk | Rebecca Foster |Louise Parkin |Jane Crittenden |Caroline Foster
First-time self builders Chris and Juliana Beardsmore teamed up with their son Joe to build their own high-performance homes When Chris and Juliana Beardsmore embarked on their first self build, they had no idea the scheme would culminate in a two-house project – nor that their son, Joe, would end up becoming their next-door neighbour. Having lived in a six-bed Victorian vicarage for more than 10 years, the couple were keen to downsize to a more energy-efficient home for retirement. “The...
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Nov 16, 2024 | 
self-build.co.uk | Louise Parkin |Alexandra Pratt |Rebecca Foster |Caroline Ednie
Returning home after three decades in the States, actor Harry Van Gorkum built an energy-efficient timber frame house in a picturesque spot near the Norfolk Broads When British actor Harry Van Gorkum moved back to the UK after 28 years living in Los Angeles, he knew that he wanted to build his own house in Norfolk. Having spent lots of time there as a child on the Norfolk Broads, he loved the idea of a secluded spot where he could raise his daughters, 12 and 10, in peaceful surroundings in a...
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
self-build.co.uk | Alexandra Pratt |Louise Parkin |Caroline Ednie |Jen Grimble
Anne and Bruce Staley replaced a humble beach shack with a stunning contemporary home overlooking the Cornish coastline for their family to enjoy Anne and Bruce Staley knew they wanted to invest in a holiday home.
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Sep 27, 2024 | 
self-build.co.uk | Louise Parkin |Caroline Ednie |Alexandra Pratt |Jen Grimble
Inspired by the barns in Northumberland, the design of Rod and Trudy Molyneux’s charming timber frame home is brimming with impressive architectural details Self building was never part of the plan for Rod and Trudy Molyneux when they decided to move out of the city in search of a greener, quieter place to call home. They had been living in a semi-detached house in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne for 10 years, but the small garden and fast pace no longer suited the way they wanted to live. “We...
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
self-build.co.uk | Caroline Ednie |Jen Grimble |Louise Parkin |Alexandra Pratt
Embracing the stunning surroundings, the Stalkers have created a chic modern longhouse with their future needs in mind It is perhaps unsurprising that Malcolm and Carol Stalker decided to return to their roots in Argyle and Bute on Scotland’s west coast for their first, and in all probability their only, self build project. The location is well known for the landscape, and the ocean vistas, with the islands of Islay, Jura and Gigha in the distance. “We are both from the area originally,” says...
