Back in 1997, Rob and Alithea Dawson set off on an adventure that proved to be one of the most remarkable, against-the-odds self-build stories in recent history. They have broken almost every ‘can’t do’ rule in self-building to create, by hand, a charming new energy-efficient home out of oak in the middle of 35 acres they bought as woodland for just £10,000 in the beautiful Powys countryside.
“We were living in Bristol at the time and had a very clear vision that we wanted to build our own home,” explains Rob. “We had dreamed of living in the countryside for some time but, in truth, money was always a barrier. We came across the site – it consisted of 35 acres of forestry clear-fell on the Welsh hills, with no prospect of planning permission, no tracks to it and no power, but it had great views and its own Iron Age hill fort – all for £10,000.
"Persuading the planners to let us build was another matter," explains Alithea. “There was obviously a range of barriers against us simply being able to build here but, from day one of our initial contact with the local planners, they were immensely supportive. They could see that we were committed, and so they guided us down the agricultural business route.”
Having been around the forest and enjoyed the timber for so long, we became convinced that an oak frame home was the way forward,” says Rob. “And so I had to learn all about that. I went down to spend a week on one of Dan Franklin’s legendary timber framing courses in Somerset, which gave me a good grounding in the principles of timber frame buildings, and experience and confidence in how to manipulate timber using ancient hand tools.” The self-built oak frame for their home is truly astonishing considering neither Rob nor Alithea had constructed one before.
The oak frame has been clad in another softwood stick-built frame to help with another key priority for Rob and Alithea, namely to create an energy-efficient home. The outer frame has been filled with 200mm of Warmcel (insulation made from recycled newspaper) and sheathed in a 22mm insulative Bitroc board (made from wood fibre and a brilliant insulator).
The resulting house – completed in April 2009 after two years on site and coming in at £1,500 under the original £100,000 budget – is not just a miracle of conception, but a beautiful home in its own right.
Why it won?
"We can have met few more determined self-builders over the 20-year lifetime of Homebuilding & Renovating than Rob and Alithea,” comments judge and Editor-in-Chief Michael Holmes. “Their journey shows that it is, after all, possible to start off with practically nothing and end up with a home that is not just a huge financial asset but, more importantly, an absolutely perfect family home.
“Of course, there’s no doubt that the time and effort – and not little degree of risk – that Rob and Alithea undertook wouldn’t be for everyone. This self-build more than perhaps any other has been both the driver and result of a complete change of lifestyle over the best part of a decade. However few would question that Rob, Alithea and their family haven’t benefitted hugely from taking this leap of faith.
“All of the judges felt that this achievement, coupled with the quality of the home, was outstanding."
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