Grand Designs Episode Information Guildford: The Art Deco House

Date Published:

06/06/2008

The Project

When Pilots Andrew Berry and his wife Helen bought their cottage near Guildford in Surrey 7 years ago they always planned to add a small extension. But over the last few years the modest extension has evolved so much that retaining any of the original cottage simply wasn't practical. Now it's being completely demolished to make way for a new five bedroom Art Deco style house.

Andrew and Helen's love affair with all things Art Deco began when they renovated a period apartment in Glasgow. After numerous visits to the Daimler and Hoover buildings, it's became such a passion that they actually spent their last holiday in Napier, a town in New Zealand famous for its Art Deco buildings. This inspiration, numerous planning applications and years of heart searching have finally produced a design that they are completely happy with and they are about to start work.

It seems very fitting that a couple of pilots should have chosen an architectural period like Art Deco which was inspired by the age of speed. During the Art Deco period cars, planes and trains were 'streamlined' and so too were buildings. Helen and Andrew's house, with its combination of architectural curves and strong lines is straight out of the 1930s.

Like many Deco houses it's a white rendered rectangular box, softened by rounding the corners on the entrance hall. The facade features some classic Art Deco detailing - layers of triple stripes sculpted into the render on the front of the house which may be painted bright turquoise in the Egyptian fashion, black aluminium Crittall style windows and geometric blocks around the door which mimic the entrances of ancient temples. All the guttering and pipes will be hidden to keep the building looking clean and sharp like a well honed machine.

Inside there'll be a curved front entrance lobby with glass walls and more structural curves in the main living area and kitchen. The staircase will sweep up to the first floor in a giant spiral. Andrew and Helen are planning a classic black and white colour scheme with touches of gold and silver, recreating that sense of 1930s luxury.

The flooring will be 'Merbau' a redish hardwood except for the living room which will have the reclaimed parquet from the original house. Black detailing is a key feature of Deco Style and Andrew and Helen have lots of it. Each room is heated by black skirting board radiators. All door surrounds will be black and the doors themselves will be made of ash with a thin black thin line insert and art deco handles. In the main living area there'll be a curved matt black wood burning stove with a black chimney which as it passes through the upstairs. The study will be painted silver and the kitchen will be modern white gloss with silver bar handles. Helen and Andrew are currently scouring the internet for impressive art deco light fittings. This will be a very striking, dramatic house both inside and out. And with so much Art Deco styling built into the fabric of the building, let's hope they don't tire of it.

Andrew and Helen are keen to retain some connection with the original building so they plan to recycle materials, like the parquet floors and incorporate a range of environmentally friendly technologies like rainwater recycling, solar power and heat exchange pumps into their new home. Their budget for the new house is £335,000 with a small contingency funded from savings and by re-mortgaging the new house when it's partially complete.

They have a builder on board who will project manage while their architect looks after the contracts but neither of them have ever built anything like this before. The house will be constructed using a steel frame and blockwork with a tiled roof but the challenge will be in using these fairly conventional building materials to create the stylish house that Andrew and Helen want.

Though they are both keen to be on-site as much as possible, as busy pilots they are often away from home for a few days at a time. It will be difficult to juggle their schedules and be around to make key decisions about the build without holding it up.

And if that wasn't bad enough, for the duration of the project they have nowhere to live. They are hoping to complete their build in just 9 months and for the moment they have moved in with a friend. Neither party is sure quite how long this arrangement will last.

Budget And Build

The Cost

Estimated Budget: £340,000
Actual Budget: £400,000

Andrew and Helen set out with a very ambitious brief; the couple's aim of building an authentically art deco house that incorporates 21st century efficiency is no small task. This is reflected in their overspend, which escalated to over 20% of their original budget. That said, it is hard to criticise how they spent the money. Unlike other grand designers, they refused to cut corners and hired the best architects, project managers, stonemasons and other craftspeople that they could find. The result is spectacular, if considerably more expensive than they had wanted.