case study 5

	Name:	Hadyn & Wendy Arnaud-Wood	Location:	Berkshire
	Age:	30+	Land Cost:	£100,000 (1999)
	Profession:	Live Music Promoter, Local Gov'mt	Build Cost:	£132,500
	House Type:	Modified Caxton SH from Heritage Range. 1,500sq ft	Current Value:	£600,000

Wendy and Hadyn Wood built this stunning example of what a Potton home is all about, it has all the benefits of a brand new home and the charm and character of a traditional country cottage.
When Wendy and Hadyn moved from their 3 bedroomed terraced house in Berkshire they were on the lookout for a traditional old country cottage but before too long had realised that every one they took a liking to was far beyond their budget so, they decided the best way to get what they really wanted was to self build.
The search started by scouring land agents in the area, getting hold of the local planning infrastructure, Then one day Hadyn spotted an area of garden alongside an existing house close to Reading it was almost overgrown and turned out to be owned by a developer who had actually purchased it but still allowed the 0ccupants of the house to use it as garden. It seemed just the perfect size to put the Caxton on, so following negotiations with the developer who agreed to sell it to them, the next stage was to talk with the local authority before finally purchasing it this however turned into a bit of a battle and following the application which provoked over 70 letters of objection
Wendy and Hadyn decided to employ the services of a planning consultant to take on the Parish Council and the objectors. Finally after almost 12 months the permission was granted, during that period of course there was no time lost, there was time to decide on room layouts and take advantage of the morning sun by introducing a Potton Sun Room to the rear of the house and, time to scour the demolition and reclaimed yards looking for bricks, clay roof tiles and the other materials that would give this house such an authentic old look.
Once on site the first job was to move a huge cedar tree that had a preservation order on it, this now stands happily by the front entrance looking as if it had grown overnight.
Using genuine old timbers and some beautiful old oak joinery meant some special help from the Potton technical department but the building Inspector was very satisfied with the outcome. Utilising a mix of their own imput, local tradesmen and Potton approved suppliers the whole process took about 12 month but the finished product says it all,

 

BUILD FIGURES

Land Cost [Purchased in 1999]: £100,000
Build Cost including Potton Timber frame package and all materials: £132,500
Total cost: £232,500
Current value £600,000

Wendy says “we don’t regret the added expense of doing this, the result is everything we wanted it to be”