Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

which feels like it should be a lot further from London
than it is. Sian explains, “It’s in the heart of Surrey, but it
feels like we’re in the middle of the New Forest.” Living
here had always been a dream for Sian but it didn’t come
easy, “We’d wanted to find a house here but they don’t
come up very often.” But after a drawn-out search they
did find a plot which could work. “It was a very instant
connection, we all felt that we just had to have the house.”
Once it became theirs it was over to Steve and his team.
Steve is a man who doesn’t shy away from a challenge
and has a commendable ability to seek the solution
rather than dwell on the problem. But this project must
have tested even his resolve at times. Once he had the
keys he took some of his guys with him to investigate
the new house. The property they bought was a 1970s
three bed, which they were planning to remodel. But
they soon realised it wouldn’t be possible. Steve explains,
“When we bought the plot we were going to extend.
But when we stripped it back the house was in an even
more dilapidated state than we were expecting. There was
rising damp, dry rot, no insulation and no membrane.
So we decided to knock it down and start again.”
Already onto plan B, upon preparing their planning
application they found out that the house was also in
the middle of a conservation area, which was far from
ideal. Steve jokes, “We didn’t really do our due diligence
did we?” After their initial plans received a lukewarm
reception from the council and neighbours they decided
to change tack and withdraw the application before
This page: The earth dug out from the basement was used
to landscape the garden, disguised by a line of gabion baskets
filled with granite setts Above: A corner of the utility room
it was rejected. Consulting with the council they found a
new solution that would work for everyone. Steve explains,
“The house needed to look a certain way to fit in with the
area, so we decided to model it on a neighbouring Victorian
property.” By using reclaimed period bricks in keeping
with the period, the council approved their proposal.
Finally approaching the build of the house they had a final
design challenge to contend with. “We were only allowed
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