Design for life

Knowing this was going to be their forever home, Dawn and Graham Hillier put heart and soul into every aspect of their new-build project

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The motives for those who choose to embark on the self-build route are many and varied and for Dawn and Graham Hillier, the practicalities of everyday life were the main factor. The couple were living in a big old farmhouse in Monmouthshire that was cold, draughty, uneconomical to run and increasingly becoming a challenge, particularly for Dawn, who has MS.

‘We decided we wanted somewhere that combined character with all the benefits of a new, modern house,’ says Dawn. ‘Initially we didn’t have strong views on the type of property we wanted, but as soon as I went to visit an oak frame show home, that was it – there was no going back.’ And Graham agrees, saying, ‘We instantly decided to look for ways we could build a bespoke home that would meet our future needs.’

MOVING AWAY

Despite wanting to stay in Wales, Dawn and Graham couldn’t find a suitable plot in their area, but also felt that their local planning authority were overly restrictive, so they widened their search and found a suitable semi-rural plot over the border in Herefordshire. Although the land came with approved plans for a house, it wasn’t oak frame, so it would be back to the drawing board as far as planning was concerned. ‘Consequently we approached Oakwrights, who were great to deal with,’ says Dawn. ‘They reassured us that although they have templates for houses, these could merely serve as a starting point for our design, and stressed to us that no two houses are the same.’