Chris Ostwald and his partner Jo live in North London with their children Lewis and George. With a third child on the way, family life is already promising to be even more hectic. As if the kids aren’t enough to keep them busy, Chris runs three shops and a cafe. But before this, he worked on special effects for big budget movies and now finds life as a shopkeeper a little frustrating.
20 years ago Chris chose a beautiful spot in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire as the place to build the home of his dreams. He bought the wooded hillside plot for its extraordinary views. But for two decades he has agonised over what he should build. Now he’s found inspiration in the most unlikely of places - he saw a replica of a watermill - in Glade Creek, West Virginia - on a yoghurt pot!
Now, working with a string of different architects, Chris has designed a full scale replica of the American watermill. But building it for real on a steep hillside will be something of a challenge.
Chris’s solution is to first construct a level platform cut into the chalk hill, on steel legs. This steel frame will serve as a table on which the house can sit, as well as an under-house storage area. There’ll also be space for an entrance hall, cloakroom and staircase leading up into the house.
On top of this he’ll build the mill’s frame and skin, shipped over in authentic kit form from New Hampshire. Within this there’ll be a master bedroom with en suite bathroom on the ground floor, and a striking double height main living room with an open plan kitchen. This living room will be lit by rows of double doors at the back and full-height windows looking out on the views at the front. Upstairs there’ll be two further bedrooms, sharing a family bathroom but each with their own balconies.
A wooden bridge will link the house to the forest behind, while at the front a mill owner’s timber deck will take advantage of those views… And finally, the item no self-respecting mill could be seen without: a waterwheel.
His budget is £120,000 and he hopes to have it built in just over a year. The house is being built using a pre-cut timber frame from America. Although it's a kit home, the frame is usually assembled by a team of six skilled carpenters. Slightly worryingly, instead of tradesmen Chris has roped in an eclectic bunch of old work buddies and family friends.
Disaster strikes - a neighbour complains to the council that the build differs in height to the dimensions given on the planning application. Even though Chris is convinced he’s built to the plans he originally submitted, the planning department aren't so sure.
Sadly for Chris, inspectors decide that his half-built house doesn't match the criteria he set on his consent - and that means he doesn't have planning permission for what he's built. Following much wrangling and a wait of 18 months after the original meeting, Chris’s house finally gets planning permission granted. But as ever, circumstances seem to work against Chris. With the UK economy slumping he has to return to London to take care of his retail businesses, leaving his Oxfordshire mill to sit empty.
In the eight months since getting the all-clear, Chris barely touches the house. On the bright side, he does attack building the focal wooden bridge with renewed vigour, and some help from son Lewis.
The house may not be finished, but its character and charm are there for all to see.
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From Huf Haus to Ikea, we look at the top kit home manufacturers and offer some expert advice
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