The property developer’s rest

MODERN LOVE: Builder Darren Brooke set himself a series of technical challenges when constructing his own home and the result is a sensational, one-off property. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by James Hardisty.

EVELOPER Darren Brooke spends his working life building homes for other people and he had already reached property nirvana by constructing what he thought was his forever home.

But a perfect plot that brought back happy childhood memories altered the status quo within a matter of hours.

He spotted an advert in the local paper for a 1930s house with a paddock and realised it was in an idyllic rural spot in Mirfield where he played as a child, so he booked an appointment to view. “I rang at 10am and by 5pm the same day we had agreed to buy it,” says Darren.

The property’s construction was flimsy by today’s standards, so he was keen to demolish it and start again. Although he was worried that the owners would be upset, they were in total agreement.

“The front was really pretty but the back wasn’t and it was a very cold house with thin cavities. The idea was to knock it down and build a new home for ourselves on the site but the plan B was to extend, renovate and sell it if we didn’t get planning permission.”

In fact, the local council was supportive of the radical design proposed by Darren and architect James Bulmer, of Invent Space.

The contemporary building with hints of art deco design and large areas of glazing is unlike any other home on the lane but there were no objections from neighbours thanks to a bid by Darren and his wife Jackie to keep them fully informed of their plans.

“Once we had done the design we invited the neighbours into the old house one Sunday morning and we had a big screen set up to show them what we wanted to do and the sort of materials we would be using. It was nerve racking but it helped.

“We showed them that the properties on the lane followed a timeline with the

I rang at 10am and by 5pm the same day we had agreed

to buy it.