Saturday 17 December 2011

Moving forward...

...the site already had planning permission for a pair of semi-detached houses. Work had already started with the retaining wall in place. We didn’t like the style of the existing scheme and it was certainly no eco home. We feel like we have the chance to build a home exactly as we want it to be. And, on top of that, the whole project also represents a huge opportunity for the new architectural practice PAAD.

Friday 16 December 2011

Living on site...

...is currently a bit cold, a bit damp and pretty strange! Our only way to make it work has been to sell our house and move into a 28ft x 10ft static caravan with our kids even before we can start any work...As you can see it was a bit of a squeeze getting it onto site. We moved onto site at the end of summer 2011 just in time for our eldest to start his new school and have insulated our caravan to within an inch of its life as the cold wintry blustery weather sets in. We are all acclimatising to living in a small space with few possessions around us.








Thursday 15 December 2011

The site...

...ticks all our boxes - private, scope for a great garden and suitable for an eco-house. We had been looking for somewhere rural, a good place to bring up our kids, but with good access to amenities and a railway station. A strip of river bank and fishing rights seemed an added bonus! From the moment we first viewed the site, we knew we wanted it – an amazing southerly aspect over the River Frome and Willow Vale with easy access to the town centre along a tree lined footpath through the vale.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

A little piece of history...

gives our site extra character. This was originally the site of a former Lemonade Factory, Scammells and Brothers. They also produced a very fine ginger beer in the past! We have unearthed lots of glass and china bearing the name but very few whole bottles or jars. Nonetheless, it gives us a great name for our new home – ‘The Old Lemonade Factory’.








Tuesday 13 December 2011

In the beginning...

we had been talking through the pros and cons of designing and building our own house for quite a few years. We’d go backwards and forwards with it – was it the best thing for us? Could we really afford it? Did we want to build from scratch or renovate? We kept an eye on the sites available and endlessly talked about where we might want to live. Quite by chance we stumbled upon what looked like the ideal site one day, for sale by auction. 

Thursday 8 December 2011

New photo realistic images



A couple of fantastic looking images courtesy of Terry Pinto and Dominic Tedaldi.

Sunday 13 November 2011