LPD were recently featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme (screened on 16th January).
The Bafta-nominated show, presented by erudite designer and writer, Kevin McCloud, is very much the budding architect's favourite of the raft of programmes now dedicated to property development, restoration and renovation, and documents the projects of ordinary people with extraordinary visions - each episode showcases the difficulty and determination involved in people building their dream homes, often based on ground-breaking designs and much of the show’s appeal results from the advice and support McCloud offers to the designers and builders during the projects, which are invariably stressful because of the substantial amounts of money involved.
When Tim and Zoe Bawtree decided that their elegant and extremely tasteful four storey Regency house in Cheltenham was too expensive to run, allied to the aim of becoming mortgage free, they took the incredibly courageous move of selling up and building an ultra modern, low maintenance house, that also had to be suitable for a young family, in their original large back garden.
A difficult enough challenge in its own right – however a challenge made significantly more demanding by virtue of the fact that the garden plot was surrounded by grade two listed houses, and because of height restrictions, Tim and Zoe were forced to build 60% of their new home underground.
Despite having to overcome these obstacles, and the 90 or so objections to their planning application from the neighbours, they remained remarkably undeterred or unfazed.
From the outset the build was fraught with problems.
First, there was a major concern that the earth from the neighbours' gardens would collapse back into the huge hole dug for the house. Then, keen on new technology, Tim opted to build the entire house out of polystyrene and waterproof concrete, even though his builders were unfamiliar with the system.
Having to deal with a leaking basement and planning wrangles, their resolve was already pushed to the extreme, but when they then parted company with their builder and were forced to take over the build themselves, their mettle was put to the ultimate test.
However, despite all the trials and tribulations it was very much a case of triumph over adversity, everything thankfully coming good in the end and LPD’s internal and external doors took pride of place in the ingenious, contemporary pad – for more detail visit: Cheltenham Underground House.
