Gamble pays off for architects
The Guardian 01/09/01
Aspiring self-builders who want to live in a city should not be deterred. It may be much harder to find the perfect plot, but Jeremy Hill and Sarah Wigglesworth's story proves not only that it can be done but that it can be done within walking distance of central London and in a totally revolutionary way.
The couple are both architecture professors at the University of Sheffield and wanted to put their theories into practice. "We wanted to treat the self-build as a research project, using natural materials that had not been used before and which had a very low ecological impact, using straw, sandbags and quilted duvets for the walls," says Jeremy.
The result is a 260 sq m house with four bedrooms and a five-storey library tower, and a 240 sq m office on the 20m by 40m site of an old forge near King's Cross train station in north London.
Such an unusual house did not endear them to traditional mortgage lenders. "We spoke to traditional lenders but they were utterly unimaginative and useless. They thought it was a high risk project even though we were only asking for one-third of the costs. They just didn't understand what we were trying to do and were dismissive and rude," said Jeremy.
"So we went to the Ecology Building Society and got an instant yes as well as support throughout every stage of the building process."
Finding the right plot of land for sale was not easy and the couple were outbid at two auctions. They took a gamble when they did finally buy because the £75,000 plot of land did not have OPP, but luckily it paid off because Islington council gave them planning permission within seven weeks.
The project cost £550,000 and took two years to build. But while this may seem like a lot, Jeremy compares it to the £300,000 price of his former home, a four-bedroom Victorian terrace, and thinks he got value for money. How much they would get for the house on the open market is anyone's guess because the property is so unusual, but a figure close to £2m has been suggested. You can see the house at www.swarch.co.uk
