MADE TO MEASURE
From little acorns mighty things grow, as Helen and Victor Day discovered when they embarked upon the building of their impressive oak-frame house
This oak-framed home in Lincolnshire was built from scratch
It was a yearning for more outside space and privacy that prompted Helen and Victor Day to look for a plot on which to build the home of their dreams. ‘At the time, we were living in a small village completely surrounded by other houses,’ says Helen, a gymnastics coach, so when Victor spotted a perfect piece of land nearby, they decided there and then that this was where they would build their new home. It was large enough for a substantial house for themselves and Helen’s parents, while allowing for a three-quarter-acre garden. It was also the ideal location to realise Victor’s dream of building an oak-frame house. ‘Victor is a builder by profession,’ says Helen, ‘but this was his first oak building. They have so much character and it felt just right for the site and for the country setting.’
To help realise their vision, the couple worked with oak-frame building specialists Border Oak. Helen liked its Pearmain Cottage design, which the couple used as a template for their own build, then increasing the size of the house. Border Oak drew up the plans, put up the timber frame and the insulated panels, then Victor and his team took over, adding the roof and installing the kitchen and bathroom, and everything in between.
‘When we moved in, the noise of the timber settling and splitting made it sound like a haunted house,’ explains Helen. ‘It was almost
as though the wood was alive.’ The result is three buildings in one: the main house where Helen and Victor live; Victor’s office flanked by two garages; and the annexe, clad in weatherboarding and with a separate entrance, which is Helen’s parents’ home. Each is distinct, yet they work together as a harmonious whole.
Inside the main house, Helen’s vision of a series of free-flowing spaces has come to life. ‘I can walk right around the ground floor without interruption,’ she says. ‘The library area has no doors and is the link between the kitchen-diner and the sitting room. It has a really nice flow.’ The sitting room and garden room have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pretty garden and pond, which is home to families of mallard ducks. ‘Even on the dullest days, it is never dark inside,’ says Helen.
When it came to interior decoration, Helen wanted a cohesive, country-style scheme. ‘I decided to use shades of blue and grey throughout the house,’ she explains. ‘I then chose fabrics and soft furnishings in the same colour palette.’
All the rooms on the ground floor open on to the garden, brimming with cottage-garden plants. There’s also a summerhouse for enjoying lazy afternoons. ‘I like to read in there, and we often have breakfast there on a Sunday,’ says Helen. ‘In summer, we have all the doors at the back open, so we can step straight out into the garden. It’s lovely to now have the space and privacy to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the ducklings.’