Creating an idyllic livework oak frame home

Owner: Lyn Bullock Location: Herefordshire Construction method: Oak frame & SIPS House size: 217m2 Package route: Planning design & weathertight shell Package supplier: Border Oak

Lyn Bullock had a very specific vision for her project: she wanted a flexible home where she could work as a private caterer and chef, while slowly winding down into retirement. The solution was to self build a characterful property designed to suit her lifestyle that would be light, efficient, adaptable and low-maintenance.

Lyn saw the high standard of Border Oak’s work locally and got in touch to see if they had any plots. “Luckily, we’d just been offered an old run-down cottage that had been empty for 35 years, in a wonderful location that exactly met Lyn’s wish list,” says Merry Albright from Border Oak.

The team worked closely with Lyn to design the house she wanted: a barn-style property with a spacious everyday kitchen, complete with bifold doors overlooking the garden and incredible views. This is the main living space, with room for a dining table and sofas, but there’s also a cosy sitting room with an inglenook fireplace – great for winter. The small, functional catering kitchen would be attached to the main home but have a separate access.

The design features a generous master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling, dressing room and large ensuite. On the opposite side of the house are two guest bedrooms with their own bathrooms. Lyn’s husband has passed away, so she needed a home that didn’t feel vast, but could expand and adapt when she has the family to stay. The floorplan includes a study, utility and ground floor bathroom, too.

Border Oak took care of securing planning permission, which proved challenging. Ecology was one sticking point. Lyn enlisted a specialist with a low-impact bat license, who established it was highly unlikely any of the creatures were on site. But to mitigate any risk, the new house had to be designed with bat lofts. It was also agreed that demolition of the existing property would only occur during a certain time period, so that in the unlikely events bats were present, they could relocate to the new outbuilding.

Another area of concern was the catering kitchen – but Border Oak reassured the planners and pointed out that government planning policy supports live-work schemes. Ultimately the council agreed and permission was granted without any changes to Lyn’s preferred scheme.

Border Oak’s packages are very flexible, which was ideal for this project. The company found the plot, designed the

house, secured planning and prepared the Building Regs drawings. The team then erected the oak frame, insulating encapsulation panels, ceiling joists and roof. From there, Lyn used relatives in the construction industry, local crafts and trades she knew to complete her home in 14 months. “We helped prepare a contract package and provided technical support, supplier information and any trouble shooting advice as and when Lyn needed it,” says Merry.

Natural light abounds in the finished house, highlighting the natural materials and textures. It wouldn’t have been possible to buy a home like this on the open market, and Lyn worked hard to create her perfect space. “It was great fun choosing the kitchen and flooring, and deciding where lights were to go and what switches I wanted,” she says. “Having previously converted a granary into two cottages, I thought building from scratch would be easy. I’m very lucky, because there were no major hiccups during the works. My husband’s uncle, Roger Parker, was my main builder; he sorted out any issues that arose and was invaluable.

But a self build project involves so many contractors and decisions; I wish I’d given the whole job to Border Oak! ”