HOMEOWNERS Jane and Tim Trounce
LOCATION Bath
SIZE 250m2
CONSTRUCTION Floating raft foundations with steel frame and cantilever structure
BUILD TIME 19 months
PLOT COST £600,000 (in 2017)
BUILD COST Undisclosed
VALUE Unknown
First-time self-builders Jane and Tim Trounce battled a sloping site on the outskirts of Bath that drops off a cliff (quite literally), plus cowboy builders as well as suppliers running off with their money. But despite all the odds, the resulting home, filled with modern finishes, breathtaking views and eco credentials, more than makes up for all the strife involved.
How did you find such an idyllic plot?
Tim: We’d been living in Surrey for many years but we met in Bristol and always thought we would come back to the West Country. I persuaded Jane to look around this area but it’s not easy trying to find a plot.
Jane: When we started looking, we found this plot but it was quite expensive. Someone had previously bought the 1960s house that stood on the site, with a view to extending and redeveloping. They eventually obtained planning permission, but a subsequent geological survey revealed that the ground was not sufficiently stable to support the extension nor the original house. They then decided to sell.
A few months later, we came up here for a friend’s birthday and I wanted another look because I loved the location and the village so much. During the intervening time, the price had come down and we ended up making a successful offer.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de Homebuilding & Renovating.
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