In 2023, whilst looking to downsize from a large family home, John and his wife became frustrated in their search for a suitable smaller home in the local area and so they decided to build their own on a piece of land which they owned adjacent to their stable block.

According to his wife, John’s mantra is “I think I’ll just do it” and so it was no surprise that their idea started to take shape.

They commissioned local architect Julian D. Hood to design a sleek, contemporary black barn that would pay homage to the local vernacular and be in keeping with the traditional black tar coated barns of Suffolk. Instead of the black tar treatment, they chose to use Ekland Wood’s Austrian Larch cladding with a charred and brushed surface finish with a water based black oil. The charred and brushed surface treatment of the cladding means that it will last for decades.

The design of the house was heavily influenced by the contemporary designs which John had seen on his regular visits to motor racing meets in Denmark and Sweden over the years. John and his wife hired local timber frame specialists Daniels & Vincent to build a house from Glue Laminated Timber, or Glulam, which is durable, sustainable and aesthetically appealing.

Also on their wishlist was an airsource heat pump and mechanical ventilation recovery system which is proving to be so efficient that they are selling surplus electricity back to the grid. In their quest to be modern, they have also installed data cabling throughout to connect to Starlink.

“We want this house to be relevant in 30 or 40 years time.” explained John, before continuing, “We shouldn’t be building for the past. We should be building for the future.” he said.

The couple’s optimism is admirable but at their age why would they put themselves through all the trials of a new home build?

“Why not?” replied John firmly.

“I don’t let things worry me. How can I complain when you look at what is going on in the world? We are very lucky. We get up in the morning and we just get on with it.”

What a marvelous inspiration to us all…

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