Everything on the garden plot is rosy thanks to a SIPS build

This award-winning self-build makes the most of a small site without upsetting the neighbours. Heather Dixon reports. Pictures by Jeremy Phillips
The self-buiild constructed with SIPSThe self-buiild constructed with SIPS
The self-buiild constructed with SIPS

The odds were stacked against them from the outset: a stack of objection letters to previous schemes, neighbouring properties in close proximity on every side and a very cramped site were just a taste of the challenges to come when Melissa Gallimore and Tim Banks bought a plot of land on the outskirts of York.

But nothing could put them off fulfilling Tim’s lifelong dream of building his own home, so when they saw a small infill plot for sale they took a huge gamble and made an unconditional offer.

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“Building land is like hens’ teeth in this area – impossible to find,” says Tim. “It was too good an opportunity to miss and we were prepared to take the risk.”

Inside story: the new kitchen/dinerInside story: the new kitchen/diner
Inside story: the new kitchen/diner

The 500 sqm garden plot came with planning permission for a standard three-bedroom bungalow – and nearly 30 letters ofobjection to its long planning history.

Neighbours were understandably concerned about being overlooked, so our first job was to show them a plan of the single storey house we wanted to build and reassure them that their privacy wouldn’t be affected,” says Tim. 

To raise capital for the build Tim and Melissa sold their two-bedroom house and moved into rented property.

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“My condition for self-building was that we would not live in a caravan on site,” says Melissa. “I didn’t want to spend a winter in a cold, cramped van with a small child. The plot is so small that we would have also had to keep moving the caravan around the site as the build progressed, which wasn’t very practical.”

The design evolved to Tim and Melissa’s strict budget, based on a Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) construction, timber cladding and a sedum roof to minimise the visual impact to their neighbours. “I am a self-professed eco (as in ‘economic)-warrior so I wanted to make sure that any eco elements we introduced to thbuild would be financially viable with a realistic return,” says Tim.

These were to include 4kWp solar PV panels, a mechanical heat recovery system and a sustainable surface water management system.

Tim and Melissa made further savings by taking a major risk with the foundations. Early on in the process, they decided on an insulated raft slab, with 300mm of EPS100 insulation between the ground and the concrete slab. Ignoring all advice, Tim insisted that this system did not require a screed, so proceeded on the basis that the 750m of water based underfloor heating pipes would sit within the 96 tonnes of concrete to create a giant ‘underground storage heater’.

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It was a huge risk, but it worked and they saved between £5-6,000 on a screed as a result. The tiled and wooden floors were then laid directly ontothe slab.

The sub structure was all designed on CAD which enabled everything to slot into place like a jigsaw. “The SIPS envelope flew up in just ten working days,” says Tim. “The system comprises panels of expanded polystyrene foam sandwiched between layers of structural board.  It’s strong, easy to put up, environmentally friendly and helps you achieve a really air-tight building.”

By the time the roof had been craned on in sections, the cash flow had almost ground to a halt. The self-build mortgage they chose would not release funds until the roof was on, and they had already re-mortgaged their old house to buy the plot in the first place. When the house was sold it released enough equity – along with £50,000 on credit cards – for the SIPS structure to be completed.

Fortunately their pre-planning was so rigorous and the build went without a hitch and was completed in ninbe months to a budget of £144,000 for the land and £235,000 for the build. The property is now worth around £450,000.

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“We still have lots of things to finish off inside,’ says Melissa. “We are taking our time and saving up for things like fitted wardrobes and extra furniture, but they are cosmetic. As a family home it works brilliantly.”

In fact, the build has been so successful that it won a York Design Award for the New-Build Residential Category. “It was the icing on the cake for us,” says Tim. “It was a challenging site but if you are determined and really believe in what you are doing, anything is possible.”

*Useful Contacts: Groundworks, Gurkha Construction, tel: 01494 958 727; SIP,: SIPS@Clays, tel: 01756 799498; Joinery and Cladding, Orchard Joinery Services, tel: 07766 745833.

Giveaway: If you fancy following in Tim and Melissa’s footsteps by tackling a self-build or you are planning a renovation project, one of the best places for practical advice, fresh ideas and product sourcing is the National Home Building and Renovating Show. The event is on at the NEC, Birmingham, from March 26 to 20. To claim your two for the price of one tickets, log on to www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/yorkshire or call 0844 854 0503 and quote code YORKSHIRE. The ticket offer is based on the advance rate of £12. Expiry date to buyis 25 March 25, 2015 at 3pm. Children under 16 go free if accompanied by a ticket holding adult,

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