Self Building at Graven Hill – Nerina & Philip

Welcome to the second in a series of interviews with other self builders, sharing some of the stories at Graven Hill.

This time I’m talking to Nerina & Philip, who have built a 4 bed home on a nice corner plot overlooking the woodland at the bottom of the hill. As one of the first to build at Graven Hill, Nerina & Philip have played a huge part in developing the community spirit here, with Philip recently taking on the Chair of the residents association.

You can listen to the interview here.

They had previously completed a renovation, giving them the confidence to try a full self build project. Once they stumbled on Graven Hill, they finally found the right opportunity to give it a shot.

With the intention to manage the internal fit-out themselves, they hired an experienced project manager to take the build from foundations to weather-tight to ensure this critical phase went as smoothly as possible. This worked out well, and despite the usual self-build challenges, successfully completed by their target of Christmas 2018.

They wanted a house to suite the local style, opting for a Cotswold stone finish. The internal layout suits the way Nerina & Philip want to live, with an open plan kitchen-diner (with larder!) leading out to a quiet garden space. One of the most pleasing features is the bedroom balcony, giving them a lovely spot for a morning coffee in the sun (or shaded respite in the afternoon!), with views over the forest.

With the build complete, attention has turned to the landscaping – making for a beautiful, peaceful corner of Graven Hill’s Westacott Road.