Thatch’s way to do it
NEW-BUILD homes should be beautiful, according to a new government commission on housing. The recently appointed chairman, Professor Sir Roger Scruton, says Britain’s skylines are being ruined by tower blocks and he is backed by housing minister James Brokenshire.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government says too many new homes “just aren’t up to scratch” and he adds: “Part of making the housing market work for everyone is helping to ensure that what we build is built to last; that it respects the integrity of our existing towns, villages and cities.”
But building new homes that fit into their landscapes is something some developers would claim they are already doing. And if the demand is for more beautiful houses, well you can’t get more appealing than a thatched house, can you?
New-build thatched houses are becoming a trend and it’s one that Spitfire Bespoke Homes has embraced at three of its new developments, where a thatched home has been included in the mix of designs.
Describing itself as a forward-thinking company specialising in sustainable and high-quality homes, Spitfire has used thatched houses as “landmark buildings” in its developments at High Cedars in Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire; Greenings, in Buckinghamshire’s Long Crendon, and Upper Acres in Ettington, Warwickshire.
But why? Sales director Matt Vincent explains: “At Spitfire, we do our best to capture local charm and complement the vernacular of the surrounding area.
“Where the location suits we’ll often build a thatched home to act as a landmark building and provide a characterful approach to the site.”
Although we associate thatched houses with chocolate box cottages, period properties can be expensive to maintain and need specialist craftsmen for walls and interiors as well as the roof – although the thatch itself should only need replacing every 40 to 50 years.
New-build thatched houses, however, offer modern insulation and lay-outs as well as the natural insulation that the roofs offer.
AT Spitfire’s Shottery development, which has now sold out, Carol Allen is delighted to be the owner of the former show home and says: “My thatched cottage has all the charm on the outside, with an ‘oldie worldly’ look, but also really appealed to me as it has all the mod cons inside. It’s something different and is a great talking point.
“As Shottery is the home to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the thatched roof blends in with the surrounding area and has great kerb appeal.”
There’s also a four-bedroom thatched roof show home at the Greenings development in Long Crendon, where 41 new homes are being designed in a village setting between Aylesbury and Oxford. The nearby Haddenham and Thame Parkway train station is on the London Marylebone line. All the homes have open-plan kitchens with a dining and family room, a separate living room featuring a log burner fireplace and French windows to the gardens. The large master suites have a dressing room with fitted wardrobes and ensuite bathrooms. Prices start from £435,000, with the thatched show home for sale at around £1million (01844 208918; spitfirepg.co.uk).
At Upper Acres in Ettington, six miles from Stratford-upon-Avon and 35 minutes by train from Birmingham, there are 21 two, three and four-bedroom homes designed to reflect Warwickshire’s architecture.
At the entrance is a four-bed thatched cottage show home, Ferrers Cottage, that has an open-plan layout plus a vaulted ceiling and bi-fold doors to the garden. It will be on sale for around £825,000, with prices for the other houses starting from £650,000 (01926 870145; spitfirepg.co.uk).
As the Government looks to create new settlements across the country, the advisory commission will be debating the importance of design and style to encourage existing communities to embrace development.
“Ultimately, building better and beautiful will help us build more,” says Brokenshire – a message that might finally be getting through to developers.