more of the 'wow' house

Here are the pics I promised last week - a bit late, sorry, but I had some 'guide mother' duties to fulfill - my beautiful godson Arlo had a naming day yesterday and a fab day was had by us all in the Herefordshire sunshine. I think the boys were a bit upset about the football but the makeshift water slide entertained the kiddiewinks for hours - thankfully oblivious to the inevitable fate of our overpaid and underworked footballers.

Anyway - here are some interiors to entertain you - I wish I could email you all a water slide and a glass of Pimms but these are the nest best thing?

old skool

Every now and then I see something that makes me yearn for the 'good old days'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for progression and innovation and would probably consider myself to be, if not an eco warrior, then a pretty dedicated sustainabilty soldier - but sometimes I get the worrying feeling that we are all trying to 'fix' something that wasn't even shop soiled let alone broken.

Ever changing Building Regs, Health and Safety, Planning controls, Codes for Sustainable housing....blah blah blah - there are just so many rules and things you MUST do or are FORBIDDEN to try. And the rules all seem to advocate less and less choice rather than celebrate the artistic spirit that has made the Self Build industry in this country so exciting. I even read the other day that most of the regulations for the future will depend on our houses being so airtight that opening a window, having a wood burner or even (heaven forbid) breaking wind would send your house into some sort of atmospheric/air conditioned melt down. What is going on? Surely our climate here is perfectly suited to throwing open the french doors on a sunday or lighting the stove in the middle of winter - if not for temperature control then maybe for evoking an atmosphere and creating an lovely living environment? Oh dear, I'm ranting aren't I?

Any way the purpose of this was to show you this gorgeous house, which is built the very same way and to much the same design as an Elizabethen house - but with a lot more insulation. Each time I see a full oak framed cottage like this I get a warm fuzzy glow (I think I need to build one?)

The owners may have an air heat source pump (see at the front) and double glazed, Argon filled windows, underfloor heating and all the other high tech gadgetry available nowadays, but I just think the house looks pleasing and subtle. It isn't pretending to be old, or (heaven forbid, again) trying to look foreign (ie German) - it is just good old fashioned British craftsmanship, a dollop of vernacular design, topped off with fab natural materials that will get better with age.

Here endeth the sermon.........(for now!)

How amazing does their plot look? I think the joinery is being painted grey/green so it will look wonderful against the woodland. And I love that rickety fence in the foreground.

As it weathers down it will sit perfectly in the plot - the roof will gather some lichen and the oak will silver. The stone and brick chimney looks good too.

The brick annex is a good alternative to weatherboard, especially with the painted joinery. Perfect.

a room with a view

Ooooh! I have got some new photos in this week - I get inordinately excited by new Border Oak pics especially if I haven't seen the house itself. And this house is a cracker - with the most amazing setting ( I think you can see about 6 different counties on a clear day!) Designed by an architect, built by Border Oak for two of the loveliest clients - I hope you like it. More photos to follow shortly, I am just resizing them all.

And to make an exciting week even more exciting, my baby sister had her own baby last night - Griffin John Edward. Welcome to the family little man - we love you already!

one day.............

When I was at school my favorite subject, by far, was art. I even started an Art Foundation course after my A levels and toyed with the idea of studying Fine Art at Ruskin. But my father had visions of me scraping a meagre living drawing portraits of indifferent tourists in Firenze. And, in truth, I was never going to be good enough to charge the tourists money, so I switched to History of Art (much easier, less hours) and now scrape a meagre living working for my father! Any way the point of my ramblings is to introduce this gorgeous little studio that Border Oak built for an artist in Buckinghamshire.

One day, in my dreams, I will beg Mr A to build me a studio like this - and I will potter and paint and sew and stick and glue with Minnie Moo. And I will have a little shop downstairs and a holiday cottage out back. Perfect.

I love the grey door and cobbles , stainless steel barrel lights and grey painted stairs. And I LOVE the light in the upstairs studio.

some new houses.......

Every now and then the project managers (the men in charge of the building sites and who organise the build schedules etc) will send me some pics of houses 'under construction'. I love this as I don't often get to visit the far away houses - and it helps me decide if I need to take professional photos later on. I thought I would share some of the photos I received in May.

The first illustrates the garden buildings we have provided for a show garden at Majestic Trees, nr St Albans. As one of the foremost mature tree nurseries in the UK, Majestic will be showcasing their design and landscaping skills at this wonderful new garden they are creating at the HQ - including, of course, lots of big trees - and an equally humungous lake by the looks of things. It will be open to the public so you can all pop along and see the gorgeous Border Oak garden buildings and buy a tree. Don't rush there yet though, still a bit of work to do..........

Ben found this photo on the internet - it's an extension we built last year. Would make a brilliant studio/playroom wouldn't it?

This next one makes me giggle - can you see the dinky bungalow to the right hand side? Well, I am guessing that as the new house is virtually complete the rickety old bungalow's days are numbered! I wonder if houses have feelings? This must be the equivalent of your husband leaving you for a younger, fitter, prettier woman. Awful. But at least the new house will be warm.......

Really looking forward to seeing the landscaping and interiors of this house as I already love the way it looks - a bit of glass, smidge of brick, lots or oak, painted windows, not too ostentatious, lovely plot.........uh oh, 'House Envy' alert.

And the house below is definitely on my House Envy radar - it is not too far away from here but I am too afraid to go and see it as I know that it is going to be nicer than our house. How do I know? Well in the weatherboarded barn section you can see here, there is a beautiful vaulted cruck frame, open to the rafters.........imagine the parties you could have in such a great huge room. And I LOVE the dark grey windows. It reminds me of the undercoat you often see when shop fronts are being repainted -and I have always been a tad peeved to see the top colour conceal the grey. The Border Oak showhouse will have dark grey windows like this too.

And finally this is the other side of the Bungalow Buster. Looks good from all sides I think.

Will post again in June - JUNE!! Where is the year vanishing to? Lord above, I will be 40 in the blink of an eye at this rate (well, 7 years to be precise). Can someone please slow things down?

More of the cottage

As promised, here are some more photos of the Border Oak cottage we are building - just for fun!

When it is finished we will definitely have an open weekend so everyone can come and see the dinky little thing (actually it doesn't feel that small now the rooms are screeded and more proportional).

My next task is lighting - now here is the (my ) problem.........

My own natural leaning is towards semi industrial/reclaimed/nautical looking lights or perhaps fine hand crafted porcelain - both of which, of course, are expensive. Now, the cottage will probably be sold at some point and it's not my money I am spending so who is to say that the eventual owner will even like or appreciate my choice in top end British made lights? Therefore do I do the sensible thing and go for inoffensive, run of the mill stuff (ie not -at - all- expensive) and just get over myself? Hmm.......dilemma.

a des res for a dove or two?

You may remember my cousin, who made the marvelous Border Oak model whilst recovering from breaking his leg? Well he has started making some amazing 'mini' frames and other bits and bobs, using his fantastic oak framing skills and left over oak - including this beautiful bird's house. He has made a brilliant version based on the Pearmain Cottage porch, which has proved to be very popular (I will get a photo and post here) and also some useful oak plant tag things (you know, oak thingys you stick in the ground to identify the plant).

The Birds Houses start at around £380 and the plant things (I will remember their name at some point) are about £9 for 5 I think. Let me know if anyone is interested, all are made to order and are beautifully crafted, even with oak shingles on the roof and pegged joints like a real Border Oak house - nothing at all like your typical garden centre job.