This fabulous and award winning self-built house in Ilkley is now on the market

The award-winning grand design is on the market for £1.65m after owners John and Jane Abram decided to move closer to their daughter and son-in-law who live in Cheshire. They also plan to downsize, though last time they tried they only managed a five per cent reduction in space after selling their large period home to buy a self-build plot.

There are no regrets as while their contemporary new-build home on Ben Rhydding Road is spacious with exceptional views, it is also far more energy efficient than the old property ever was.

“At 4,000 sq.ft it has a similar square footage to the Victorian house but it is considerably cheaper to run,” says John. “It is extremely well insulated and although we have underfloor heating, it’s hardly ever on.”

Along with the location and the contemporary good looks, fuel efficiency is now a big selling point, though winning the Ilkley Civic Society Design Award in 2014 and the RIBA 2015 Yorkshire Award also speaks volumes about the property.

The Abrams self-build journey began when a parcel of land came on the market just after the sale of their old home. The previous owner had demolished a dated house on the site and already had planning permission to build a new property. That design wasn’t to the couple’s liking, so they engaged an architect to come up with a better idea before going to Bradford Council to seek approval for the plan.

They hired Halliday Clark, a stand out candidate, after sending an unusual brief to a number of architect practices. “It was more stylistic than practical but it paid off,” says John.

Their wish list was a string of evocative words and phrases. These included modern, distinctive, individual, attractive, inviting, interesting, intriguing, sharp, stylish and desirable but not quirky, weird, oddball, pastiche, dull, OTT or brash. They were also clear that they wanted lots of glass but the property had to “look like a home, not a car showroom or office”.

The resulting three-storey house is constructed from blockwork clad with natural stone, render and decorative zinc panels. Particularly impressive is the clever use of an awkward site, which featured a steep drive that had led down to the old house and garage.

The slope was built up and levelled and a new retaining wall created to allow for a parking area and garage by the front gate. Below is a sunken south-facing courtyard garden, which provides a private sun-trap and brings light into the lower ground-floor living rooms The front door and entrance hall are at first-floor level and accessed via a paved walkway.

Inside there is extensive use of glazing to make the most of the views and all three storeys are connected by an internal atrium. This acts as a heat sink and a natural daylight distributor

The light-filled, four-bedroom property is set over three levels with the entrance hall on the first floor. The ground floor has large, an open plan living space with kitchen, dining and living area with bi-fold doors out to the rear garden plus a family room with wood-burning stove. An inner hallway has a wall of full-height, glazed sliding doors looking out onto the courtyard garden.

The hallway also gives access to the utility room, bedroom four/office and a shower room. The first floor has a large galleried landing with a seating area and views over the valley and there is also a guest bedroom with ensuite, a further double bedroom and a large house shower room.

On the top floor, there is a master bedroom suite with ensuite, dressing area and a balcony with long distance views. Outside, the drive provides parking for a number of cars and direct access to the double garage which has a green roof

At the front of the property there is a south-facing courtyard garden while the garden to the rear is mainly laid to lawn with a vegetable garden beyond.

There are also large paved terrace areas.

The house also has internet LAN cabling, Freeview and satellite TV, VHF and DAB radio cabled throughout principle living rooms and bedroom

The build started in July 2012, with architect Adam Clark project managing and James Tiffany, of RJ Tiffany Builders, as the main contractor. “We were lucky because there were no fundamental issues. That was thanks to a great team and the fact we had spent a lot of time during the design stage thinking about the detail and the layout,” says John.

The Abrams ran just ten per cent over budget and keeping the much-loved period furniture from their former home along with artwork and ceramics, rather than buying all new, helped.

They did, however, invest in a beautiful stained glass panel by Caryl Hallett, who used colours to match the moorland views. The panel is one of the final images in their book of photographs that document the build and the stunning end result.

They will take the book with them along with happy memories of the UK’s Best Place to Live. “Ilkley really does has everything you could want,” they say and they’re not wrong.

Contact: Hunters, Ilkley, tel: 01943 660500, www.hunters.com