November 2017

Welcome to the November edition of i-build magazine! This issue is packed with inspirational projects and products as well as useful advice for your self-build.

 

Every self-build and renovation project varies; from ultra-modern prefabricated Passivhaus projects and new-build Georgian- and Victorian-style dwellings, to remodelled city-centre townhouses and refurbished dilapidated outbuildings. Behind every outstanding build is a story of true dedication and tenacity told by each and every selfbuilder and home renovator.

Of course, these individuals are all but aware of the complexities and challenges that lie ahead when they commit to a project, however, many underestimate the long days and stressful nights that hover in the distance. This is where a behavioural adoption of determination and dedication is instinctively developed as a result of the pessimism that may surround their build. For Derbyshire couple Robert and Hilary, determination was not a trait they had to adopt when undertaking the restoration of their 1000-year-old corn mill sited on their eight-acre estate; it was a characteristic that was already inherent.

Robert and Hilary had been living in their mill estate in the idyllic village Ashford-in-the- Water for nine years prior to commencing the restoration of Ashford Mill. The historic corn mill plays a significant role in the rural village; dating back to 1086 and, as Robert and Hilary are situated within a national park, the sensitivity that surrounded the restoration was elevated. However, unfazed by the project, iron-willed Robert successfully completed the renovation appeasing the local planning officers and restoring a 150-year-old turbine along the way. To read more about Robert and Hilary’s sympathetic mill restoration, turn to page 18.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget, if you’re coming to the end of your self-build and would like us to feature your home as inspiration for other budding house-builders, then please do not hesitate to get in touch. Alternatively, if you’re about to embark on your self-build journey and would be keen for us to document your progress, do get in contact.