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When Tessa and Menno Hop began to feel the squeeze in their old home, they started to think about the next step. ‘It was a nice house, but too small for us and our three boys,’ says Tessa. ‘We had outgrown it.’

‘Then, we were inspired by a bespoke-built French holiday home we stayed in. It had just the right amount of space, good proportions, a perfect floor plan with a big, open-plan living space – and we noticed how it worked for us. It got us thinking!’ Back home, the couple found land for sale nearby. ‘It was being sold by the metre, so we could decide exactly how much space we needed, and build whatever style of property we wanted,’ says Tessa. ‘We chose a 24x24m plot.’

‘We spent six months drawing up plans, a further year getting the permissions needed, then six more months building and finishing the house.’ The couple completed the entire process without hiring an architect: ‘By the time we’d got to the planning stage, we knew very clearly what we wanted,’ says Tessa.

The house was built off site and transported to the plot in sections. The exterior is clad in western red cedar, which turns grey as it ages, with black metal window frames for a simple, modern look. Wellinsulated walls and a solar-panelled roof add ecofriendly credentials. ‘It’s basically a rectangular box,’ says Tessa, ‘with a column sticking out, housing the staircase. We didn’t want the stairs in the centre of the house, as the children run up and down them all day.’

In keeping with the simple, natural materials of the exterior, the interior is finished in white, grey and pastel tones, with abundant wooden touches, and a modern Scandinavian feel. The open-plan living the couple coveted has proved a hit with every member of the household. ‘This house works so well for us,’ says Tessa. ‘It’s exactly how we’d imagined it.’

“We were inspired by a French holiday home we’d stayed in with a big, openplan living space and noticed how it worked for us”

“By the time we’d got to the planning stage, we knew very clearly what we wanted and what was important for our family’s lifestyle”

If you want to build your own house, don’t copy other people’s – it won’t work for you. Design it around the issues you want to solve”