Long-held ambition
After perfecting their self build plans for an entire decade, Lesley and Daniel Landels have created a characterful home in the Scottish Borders
Experienced renovators Daniel and Lesley Landel spent the better part of a decade honing their plans for a bespoke home and finally realised their dream with a traditional timber frame design in the Scottish Borders
Designing and building a home from scratch had always been on the agenda for Lesley and Daniel Landels. With a selection of completed projects already under their belts, including a kitchen extension and the renovation of a Victorian house, the pair were well prepared for the challenges the process would entail. “We’d been thinking about self building for 10 years, so we had quite a long time to hone our ideas,” says Lesley. “After updating previous properties we’d lived in, constructing a new dwelling naturally seemed like the next step. Plus, my husband is a joiner so he’s worked on plenty of new build projects before.”
Patience is key
For Lesley and Daniel, the first step was all about waiting for the ideal plot to come up. “We always watched the market so that when the right site went up for sale, we were ready to go and see it,” Lesley says. Having grown up in the countryside, she was keen to create a home with far-reaching rural views, close to her hometown.
In spring 2015, the perfect opportunity finally arose. “My dad works in the farming community and he had heard that a local agricultural property was getting split up, so knew the plot would be coming onto the market,” says Lesley. “Sure enough, it went on the estate agent’s website and we drove up to take a look that afternoon.” e couple knew immediately that this was the patch of land they’d been searching for. With stunning views across the rolling peaks of the Scottish Borders, it was ideally situated for access to local amenities. “It’s a four-minute drive from the nearest village, where there’s a post office, butcher, school and pubs,” says Lesley. “Location-wise it ticks all the boxes because it’s not too far out.”
As the couple were still renovating their existing home, a Victorian property, they pushed on with the works so they’d be able to put that house on the market as soon as possible in order to fund their next project. “In the interim we got a family loan to buy the plot, just so we didn’t lose it,” says Lesley. e couple ended up selling their own house about six weeks later, and by October that year they were living in a caravan on site, ready for their self build journey to begin.
Traditional design
ough Lesley and Daniel were keen to build an energy-efficient modern home, complete with an open-plan kitchen-diner, establishing a characterful aesthetic was key. “I’d always wanted to create something that felt old, having grown in up in period dwellings,” says Lesley. “We spent a lot of time over the 10 years leading up to the project picking out features that give the perception of age, which we could work into the design of our new house.”
In her search for inspiration, Lesley had been an avid reader of Build It. “I used to
tear out pages and put them into books, creating mood boards for each room,” she says. “I knew I wanted an exposed oak frame in the kitchen-diner part of the house, so anybody that had used that construction method I’d cut out the whole interview and put all the pictures in a folder. It’s a really useful resource when someone is already further down the same process you’re embarking on.”
Lesley and Daniel’s plot already came with outline planning permission to develop a new property, replacing a cottage that had previously occupied the site. When the couple approached their designers, Alastair Weir and David Burgher at Aitken Turnbull Architects, they’d already drawn up plans for their home – on the back of an envelope. “We wanted a traditional chocolate box cottage with a kitchen-diner on the back, with accommodation arranged into a T-shaped floorplan,” Lesley says. “We’d worked with our designer on previous projects, and I think we were fairly easy clients because we already knew exactly what we wanted.”
Once Aitken Turnbull had converted the Landels’ drawings into architectural plans, they were submitted to the local council. e scheme was given the green light without any issues. “We didn’t put anything too untoward into the design. We certainly weren’t pushing any boundaries in terms of the project we wanted to do, in the location that it was,” says Lesley. “Saying that, it was a relief when the email came through saying that we’d obtained permission. If it had been turned down, it would have meant starting the whole design process again from scratch.” e next step was to obtain the necessary Building Warrant, which took eight weeks, and the couple were finally ready to construct their dream home.
Construction hurdles
As a joiner with plenty of experience of working on bespoke home projects, Daniel took on the role of main contractor. Lesley, meanwhile, headed up the project management side of things. However, things took a turn for the unexpected when Lesley fell pregnant with the couple’s second child in January 2016. “We wanted to be in the house before the baby came, so we gave ourselves an eight month time frame to complete construction,” says Lesley. “However, living in a caravan with our then two-year-old daughter was sometimes challenging. During the summer it was often really hot and Danny was pulling long hours to try and get everything done. At times, it was life circumstances that presented greater obstacles than the project itself.”
Despite the challenging conditions, Lesley pressed ahead, and took a proactive approach in her organisation of the various trades. “I used to ask each one what they needed to be done on the house before the following week, so they’d never be able to say they were waiting on another professional to do their job before they could get stuck in,” Lesley says. “Doing it that way gave me a seven-day window to speak to whichever individual was required on site, so there were fewer frustrating delays.” In addition to her project management duties, Lesley also found time to launch her own business, Love Scottish Candles, from the caravan.
‘‘ After updating previous houses we’d lived in, constructing a new dwelling ourselves naturally seemed like the next step ’’
Even with Lesley’s organised approach to the project, the couple still experienced setbacks. “at winter we had flooding. It rained so much that the trenches we’d dug out for the foundations all filled with water, which had to be pumped out,” says Lesley. “Another drama was when we hit a mains water pipe that hadn’t been marked on the map. Because it had mains pressure, there was a water everywhere. I can say for sure that it’s marked on the plans now!”
e couple opted for a timber frame with a blockwork skin, topped with a white K Rend finish. For Lesley, one of the most rewarding moments during the project was when the structural skeleton was erected. “I loved seeing the kit go up because that was the first time we saw what the proportions of the property would be,” she says. “e day the large arch windows at the back of the dwelling went in was another high point. I always think that once the fenestration has gone in, that’s when it starts to feel like a real house.”
Characterful interiors
Lesley and Daniel have opted for a fairly traditional layout, with an oak front porch that leads through to the entrance hall, where you can see right through to the back of the house. A cosy snug is situated to the left of the front door, with a spare bedroom opposite.
e hallway leads down to a striking archway that opens out into the spacious open-plan kitchen-living-dining area. e oak beams and kitchen were hand built and erected by Daniel. e ground floor has a separate utility room and downstairs WC, while upstairs, there are three bedrooms and a family bathroom. e master bedroom also features its own ensuite.
“e snug is probably my favourite area,” says Lesley. “Because the back of the house with the exposed oak frame is so open, it’s really nice to come into this room at the front where the ceiling height is lower. ere’s a sofa, TV and a stove – it’s so cosy.” In terms of products, Lesley is delighted with the limestone flooring she chose for the utility room and downstairs WC. “I got it from Ebay, sourced direct from the quarry in India,” she says. “e other thing I love is the traditional fireplace in the open-plan living area. We got a stonemason to build that for us to create a really traditional flourish.”
Green energy
e Landels’ heating system is powered by a ground source pump, as the couple wanted to make the most of the acre of land the house sits on. “e heating cost us about £22,000, but over seven years we’ll get £14,000 of that back from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which made it worthwhile,” Lesley says. “e heat source powers underfloor heating downstairs and radiators upstairs.”
Solar thermal panels have been installed to warm the property’s domestic hot water (DHW) supply. “e plan is to put in a solar electric array at some point in the future, too. We want to become completely self-sufficient,” says Lesley. “We would have liked to have installed a solar electric system at the time of the build, but after spending so much on the heating setup, it wasn’t really possible within our budget.”
e renewable energy sources are complemented by the property’s thermally efficient structural shell. Double glazing has been installed throughout the house, which is also heavily insulated. “We went for the highest spec that we could with the windows and doors, and we’re really pleased. e whole house is very energy efficient,” says Lesley.
Final thoughts
It’s been a long time in the making, but the couple are delighted with the results of their first self build. Looking back on the process, Lesley acknowledges that managing the paperwork was probably one of the biggest challenges she faced. “Right through from organising the mortgage to obtaining the completion certificate, you spend hours on the paperwork. But there’s no quicker way of doing it – you need to jump through all those hoops,” she says.
Despite the challenges Lesley and Daniel faced along the way, the couple found the process hugely rewarding. “Seeing all the planning and inspiration scrap books come together in reality, taking shape into our house, has been fantastic. e kids really enjoy the space, too,” Lesley says. “I probably would do a self build project again – but I’d need some time to psych myself up first.”