Graven Hill

A Scheme with a Difference 

A retired couple from Nottingham discovered the UK's largest self and custom build community site through a friend’s recommendation. Looking for the opportunity to build their lifelong dream home, they contacted Allan Joyce Architects to help them to turn their dream into reality.

Plot Passport 

The purchase of a plot comes with a 'Plot Passport'. Providing the design of the dwelling conforms with the specified parameters and guidelines set out in the individual passport, it is deemed to comply with Planning regulation. This offers a huge amount of design flexibility within the established framework, which is extremely unusual yet exciting for an architect! Alongside this, the clients deliberately kept their brief generic, as they wanted to give Allan Joyce Architects complete freedom to create a distinctive design.

A Collaborative Design

AJA produced initial concept sketches to illustrate their ideas for the new dwelling. In close consultation with the client, the design evolved through plan, section and 3D models over a period of 2 months. The client was totally engaged in the process, even creating their own model of the dwelling to conceptualise the garden design! The resulting three-bedroom, three-storey house features a south-facing terrace on the flat roof, emphasizing energy efficiency and tailored to the clients' needs.

The contemporary design prioritises privacy at the front, with large feature windows opening up to scenic views of the garden at the rear. The pale brick and timber cladding were chosen to contrast one another, accentuating the angled window and door reveals designed to frame views and to maximise natural light into the main living spaces. The Clients loved the custom-build model and have taken on as much of the building work as possible, including laying the brickwork themselves.

At our first meeting we were introduced to Lucia D'Alessio who was to be our architect ... We all got on very well and my wife and I really looked forward to these meetings. The house took shape and met all our criteria plus more such as the 3rd storey and roof terrace. Lucia created a Sketch Up image of the house and it is absolutely beautiful. We get many compliments about the design. My wife made a painting of the house plus 3D models as we were so excited and pleased with it.

Clients