Garrie and Sue’s Grand Design House at Gravenhill
Model Projects were thrilled to be involved in the creation of the design of Garrie and Sue’s property at Gravenhill, Bicester, as featured on Grand Designs: The Street Episode 5.
Gravenhill is a unique self build scheme. Up to 1,900 beautiful and unique homes will be built over 10 years on a former MOD site. They will be surrounded by open, green spaces including woodlands, allotments and a network of cycle and footpaths. The aim is to build a community of self builders and custom built properties, each one individual. The first phase of plots were released in summer 2016.
Model Projects clients, Garrie and Sue, were amongst the first ten people to build their own home and as such their progress was featured on GRAND DESIGNS: THE STREET on Thursday 2nd May, 2019.
Design and Features
Garrie and Sue’s brief was to build a property that would benefit Sue’s quality of life, providing a home that was energy efficient which was able to maximise the daylight entering the house. The house has three storeys, with an internal floor area of 124 sqm. To the ground floor the house contains a cleverly designed kitchen/dining/living area and a bedroom with walk in wardrobe for guests. High-performance, south-facing double glazing has been proposed to flood the living room and upper gallery area with natural light.
To the first floor, the ceilings are vaulted. The master bedroom is located to the southeast and benefits from double aspect doors. A large 14sqm study will be found on the first floor, along with a further bedroom and family bathroom.
The second floor is the masterpiece of the property. It was created to provide a top floor relaxing area, with large roof lights providing uninterrupted views across the countryside beyond; a place where Garrie and Sue will be able to watch the sunset in the evenings.
In order to future proof this house, a lift runs through the core of the property (from ground to the top floor roof garden). This allows Sue to easily access all levels of the house and enjoy all aspects of it.
To the outside, the property has been designed with light wells and three strategically placed long rooflights, that bring light into the central areas of the property. Eight solar panels have been mounted onto the roof to maximise energy efficiency. The Northern facade of the property will benefit from overlooking newt ponds and allotments. The elevation is a combination of wooden cladding and light colour render.
Model Projects have been delighted to work with Garrie and Sue on this individualistic property. We have provided a design that was created around their needs, ensured it was future proofed, light, airy, and highly energy efficient. We are proud to have been involved with this project.
