Denys and Marjorie Randolph, who are in their seventies, built their first house 10 years ago. It was a large family home with an adjoining vineyard. Eventually the vineyard became too much work, so their daughter took over, and the couple have built a new house down the road.
The architect was Rod James, whose work the Randolphs first came across on a TV programme. Rod designs timber framed buildings with the look and construction methods of a traditional English barn. Then, within months of deciding on the style of their new house, the couple stumbled across a four acre plot near Reading, Berkshire, with stunning southerly views over a valley.
The plot contained a dilapidated 1930s bungalow. 'To get the view we had to buy the bungalow,' says Denys. 'The guide price was about £250,000, which may seem a lot to pay just to pull the wretched thing down, but planning controls are strict and the only way to build a new house - this is an area of outstanding natural beauty - is to do it in place of an old one.'
Rod James drew up the plans while the Randolphs concentrated on the details. Special features include a glass atrium, an open plan conservatory and a heating system that uses coiled piping buried in the garden to collect heat from the earth. There is a large terrace to make the most of the view and the rest of the land will be taken up with a wildflower meadow and a lake.
About 40 managed oaks were felled to make the frame for the house, and the timbers are held together with hand-made wooden pegs. The frame took weeks to be made by specialist carpenters but only three days to erect. From start to finish, the design and build took 18 months, and the project cost around £500,000 in all. Denys says the property is now valued at about £600,000 - not that they're thinking of selling. 'The only way we plan to leave here is in a wooden box,' says Marjorie.
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