FROM CORRUGATED IRON TO A MANSION OF GLASS

AMY BURGESS, 59, lives in a pre-fabricated timber home in Lewes, East Sussex, with her friend Chavdar Vesselinov, 61. Amy says: PErCHED on the beautiful South Downs is my beautiful glass-fronted double-height home. it’s the best of modernity. You’d never guess it was a prefab — and much less that there used to be an old post-war prefab on this very spot.

as well as being my dream fivebedroom home, Skyhouse, as i’ve called it, is also a luxury b&b. With cosy stoves, underfloor heating and a wonderful view, it’s a fabulously restful place that’s environmentally friendly.

it cost me around £700,000. i chose the German company baufritz to build it. our first task when we bought the site in 2010 was to remove the post-war prefab.

our new prefab by German supplier baufritz arrived by lorry in may 2014. Despite being 4,000 square feet, it took just four-and-ahalf days to build, which is remarkable considering the intricacies of the glass frontage.

Sections of pre-fab arrived with windows, insulation and plumbing in place, before being fitted together with the help of a large crane.

There was no possibility of error, as the building had been precisely measured in the factory before arriving on site. i had my heart set on a glass structure like this and the prefab made it so much easier to achieve. i just love it.