Key to success
Simon and Maggie Kirkman opted for a prefabricated house package to deliver their high-quality, future-proof home at the iconic Graven Hill self build development
A turnkey package with timber frame supplier Dan-wood helped Maggie and Simon Kirkman achieve a high-quality dwelling on the Graven Hill development in just 11 weeks
Looking back at their self build, Simon and Maggie Kirkman wonder whether the best approach to managing the project would have been to go on holiday until it was finished. Not a conventional strategy, perhaps, but one that could suit this type of build. e couple have created a four-bedroom, modular timber frame home at Graven Hill, the trailblazing self and custom build development in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
The Kirkmans, both retirees, chose to go down the prefabricated route for its simplicity. “At our time of life, and having taken on three previous self builds, it was a good option to let someone else deal with the stress,” says Maggie. “As it turned out, this was both the beauty and the challenge of our project. Letting go is quite stressful in itself, so a holiday would have been a good distraction!”
With their three previous self builds, the couple were involved on a daily basis. “We were responsible for every last nut and bolt,” says Maggie. eir first home, in Milton Keynes, was constructed in 1994. “From there, the motivation was always to build bigger and better,” says Simon. “As every self builder knows, once you’ve done one, you want to do it again now that you know exactly how it should be done!” By the third go, the couple hit their stride, bagging a sizable plot of land after speaking to someone at a party. “We couldn’t have
afforded it by ourselves, so we co-built with our son, Toby,” says Maggie. “at house was to die for, with six bedrooms in total.”
New horizons
e desire to downsize started to emerge when the couple retired in 2004. “We wanted to create a more manageable home, compatible with horizontal living for our later years, as well as having enough space for the grandchildren,” says Simon. It wasn’t until 2012 that they began searching for land, but it wasn’t plain sailing. “Prices had become ridiculous, and plots were few and far between,” says Simon.
Towards the end of 2014, a local news story about Graven Hill caught their attention. e pair were attracted to the prospect of being part of another new town, where hundreds of plots would be given over to self builders and infrastructure such as shops and schools added over time. e location ticked plenty of other boxes, too. It’s close to the John Radcliffe Hospital, where Maggie receives regular treatment for an autoimmune condition, while nearby Great Milton is where the couple’s grandchildren reside with Toby’s ex-wife.
In early 2015, the couple attended the first of a series of seminars about Graven Hill, at Bicester Golf Club. It was here they first encountered Polish manufacturer Danwood, one of several specialist custom build companies associated with the site. Having travelled many times to Sweden for work trips over the years, Simon had acquired a liking for the clean lines of modern Scandinavian design, shared by Maggie, and Dan-wood’s houses seemed to pick up on this style. It helped that the company invited them to look round a finished home in Hampshire. “e owner welcomed us with coffee and cookies, and let us have a good nose round,” Maggie recalls.
Phase 1 of Graven Hill’s plot sales began in November 2016, with sites released on a Community Streets section of the development, where there’s plenty of design freedom. e couple wanted a plot with a south-facing orientation, but these were few and far between, and they just missed out on one option. ey had got as far as receiving the Plot Passport from Graven Hill, which sets out the nature of the site and any design requirements (such as total floor area, materials palettes etc), but lost out due to a policy to prioritise local buyers at this phase of the development. “It was a bit of a blow,” says Simon. “Fortunately, plot 131 came up pretty soon afterwards and offered just what we were looking for.”
Forward thinking
Planning was submitted in April 2017 with the help of an architect recommended by Dan-wood. is was initially rejected due to the ridge height, which it transpired would not conform with the Plot Passport. “e problem was caused by a mistaken annotation relating to scale on the drawings,” says Simon. “Our architect was
away on holiday at the time, but once back he reworked the roof angle slightly, lowering the ridge without losing any internal ceiling height. We got the go ahead in August that year.”
The design is based on a house from Dan-wood’s catalogue: the 153E, with a few modifications to suit the Kirkmans. Dan-wood projects are delivered on a turnkey basis, with everything from plumbing and sanitary to stairs, ironmongery and more included in the package. e only element not supplied is the kitchen. The couple made minimal changes to the design, opting to add an extra wall downstairs to create a study/bedroom, as well as changing the downstairs cloakroom into a shower room. Both alterations were done to ensure built-in futureproofing.
The biggest challenge was deciding on the locations for all the fixtures and fittings, including lighting and cabling runs. e couple spent four months deliberating, and for Maggie it was an emotionally draining period. “I couldn’t sleep for thinking about it,” she says. “I would come downstairs in the small hours, mithering about whether we’d got things right.” With the decisions finally made, the design was locked down and Danwood set about manufacturing the house.
Speedy delivery
Self build plots at Graven Hill are sold under a Golden Brick arrangement. is means
’’The quality comes through in the flawless paint, joinery and lovely open-plan feel’’
services are brought onto the site and the foundations are completed for an agreed price (to suit your design) before the plot is handed over. e idea is to help streamline delivery, provide better cost certainty for homeowners and – importantly – to enable the plot purchase to qualify for a zero rating under VAT rules.
One issue did arise out of the Golden Brick process: extending the electrical supplies from the temporary cabinet on site up to the property itself, when the time came. “We found the quote from Graven Hill’s contractor disproportionately high,” says Simon. “Others on our street experienced the same shock.” e self builders banded together to form a liaison group and raise the issue with the development company. “We were able to persuade them to come back to us with a more appropriate price,” says Simon. A fringe benefit of the episode was a new-found camaraderie: residents still meet for monthly coffee mornings to discuss any issues as they arise.
Build progress was phenomenally fast. The first spade hit the ground in February 2018, and it took five months for the whole project to reach completion – including the landscaping. e main construction phase lasted just 11 weeks. “Incredibly, we watched the main superstructure go up in just one week in mid-march,” says Maggie. “On Monday the ground floor was loaded. Day two the upper floor went on. By the time Saturday came, the heavens could open if they wanted, because it was waterproof!”
The couple watched the frame go up from the street, and being on hand turned out to be a good idea. “The build team was fantastic – working flat out,” says Maggie. “But when the initial first floor panel was lifted I could see it was a front one but was being hoisted in the wrong direction. I yelled as loud as I could over the noise of the
machinery.” Maggie’s good judgement saved the team the extra work of repositioning and later she received a call thanking her for the “offsite supervision.” Simon and Maggie were only needed twice more during the build: once to liaise with the electrician over kitchen power supplies, and then to arrange the internet cabling.
Setting a trend
The Kirkmans are very impressed by Dan-wood’s build quality. The wall structures consist of pre-insulated timber frame panels and come complete with modern acrylic render, which is laid on on a backing of 120mm of insulation. Vapour barriers and plasterboard are pre-installed in the factory, too, while the triple glazing and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system are fitted in Dan-wood homes as standard.
It’s a super-efficient setup, achieving excellent airtightness performance. Dan-wood sales agent Lucy Yendell confirms the Kirkmans’ home scored an air permeability rating of 0.9m3/(h. m2)@50pa in testing. “That’s way ahead of the Building Regs requirement of 10,” she says. The firm must be doing something right, because numerous other Graven Hill residents have been inspired to follow in the Kirkmans’ footsteps. “We have 12 Dan-wood houses on site now, with two in construction,” says Lucy.
One of the few areas of misgiving for Maggie and Simon is the ground conditions. Although the couple knew they would be building on thick boulder clay, they didn’t expect to find a complete lack of topsoil. “It seems the area was scraped over during early site preparations, and the richer soil removed,” says Maggie. “It’s made up ground and you can’t grow anything in it.” Instead the couple have opted for raised beds with plenty of good-quality compost. Maggie, a keen gardener, keeps these in bloom.
The pair are delighted with the finish of the house, which they moved into in June 2018. “One of Dan-wood’s key markets is Germany, where the customers are very discerning,” says Maggie.
“The quality comes through in the flawless paint, joinery and lovely open-plan feel. We’re very happy.”
It isn’t just the house that sparks joy. “ere’s a ready-made community here,” adds Maggie. “The council hasn’t stinted on aspects such as the excellent housing association accommodation. We have a great mix of people, from families to pensioners, and we’re among like-minded self builders. And Toby decided to join us here not long ago, with the grandchildren, building his own Danwood property just down the lane. What more could you want?”