2 December 2013
The best self and custom build projects of the year have been recognised by the industry’s two main publications.
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Mutual Home Ownership project wins at Build It Awards
An innovative self build project involving 20 families in Leeds was a key winner at the Build It Awards, staged last week at a ceremony at the Swindon Hilton next to the industry’s National Self Build and Renovation Centre.
The LILAC development won the ‘Best Community or Group Self Build Initiative’ award for its use of a ‘Mutual Home Ownership Society’ organisational structure to deliver affordable new homes. The judges said the properties were well designed and employed natural materials like straw bales. “The project was led by committed and driven individuals who have created 20 homes where facilities such as a common house, workshop, launderette and gardens are shared,” they said, in their awards citation.
Other winners at the Built It awards included Joshua Penk for his sustainable woodland home built, for less than £82k, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, for the affordable opportunities it has provided at Newcastle Lane in Penkhull and at Handford.
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The LILAC project in Leeds |
Joshua Penk’s sustainable woodland home |
Anna-Marie DeSouza, editor at Build It said: “My favourite category was the Best Community Self Build Project, and I hope the entries will inspire others to start their own collective builds. We had a number of extremely strong projects in this category, which highlighted the innovation and quality of the schemes currently developing throughout the UK.”
Innovative designs shine through at Homebuilding & Renovating Awards
A unique home that was part-boathouse part-new castle was declared the overall winner at the Homebuilding and Renovating Awards 2013.
The Inverdart Boathouse was designed and managed by David and Annette Southwick. The dwelling, which took 14 years to realise, sits at the foreshore below precarious cliffs at the mouth of the Dart Estuary and required significant engineering works at a very early stage, with rock stabilisation a priority and 14m deep foundations, cut out of the rock bed itself.
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Inverdart Boathouse, overall winner at the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2013 |
Fry Residence, won the ‘Best Value for Money Project’ |
Other projects honoured included Mike and Jane Fry’s new home which won the award for the best value for money project.
An innovative new home at 23 Keith Grove in London picked up the award for best residential design and also won the trophy for the most innovative home of the year. Owners Matthew and Sophie White built this new family home after four years in the planning. It includes lots of glorious living space and is packed full of innovative features including everything from hidden storage to sunken light wells.
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23 Keith Grove was commended for its innovative design |
Cranham House boasts eco features |
Another double award winner was Cranham Lodge in Gloucestershire which secured the trophies for the best eco home and Readers Choice award. This single-storey house, contoured around a lake, was built with locally-sourced natural materials and features an open loop water-source heat pump extracting heat from the lake.
