Episode Information Sussex: The Modernist Sugar Cube

Date Published:

18/06/2008

Tom and Darron wanted to build a house that would be home to them, their art collection and their two large dogs. Darron's passion for surfing meant it would also have to be near a beach. They already shared a timber beach house in a hamlet on the Sussex coast, and when a neighbour's bungalow came up for sale, they decided to buy it, demolish it and build a dazzling white modernist house in its place.

Budget And Build

The Cost

Cost of land and existing building £150,000
Cost of build £350,000
Final cost £500,000

The design that Tom and Darron had chosen set alarm bells ringing in the hamlet. The building was a Bauhaus-inspired white oblong, three floors high and much taller than the little timber houses on either side. In modernist fashion, it had a flat roof and rectangular windows.

Tom and Darron turned the usual living arrangement upside down and designed the top floor as an open-plan living area and art display space. The middle floor would house the master bedroom and one other, Tom's office and meeting room and a small gallery. The ground floor would be given over to a large kitchen and dining area, and a studio, photographic darkroom and garage.

Consternation

Planning permission was granted, to the consternation of some neighbours. Tom took on the job of project manager, and he and Darron both immersed themselves in every aspect of the design. They had a generous build budget of £350,000, paid for from savings.

As the construction of the house was relatively simple - concrete, concrete and more concrete - they were free to lavish money on the finish. They aimed to create a restrained, monochrome interior, borrowing minimalist ideas to create the perfect background for their very non-minimalist, colourful art and furniture.

Concrete

The build started in July with massive foundation work. Being so near the sea, the house might have to withstand ground shifts, so five-and-a-half tons of steel reinforcing bars were buried in 80 cubic metres (2,825 cubic feet) of concrete. Over the next three months, the shell of the house rose steadily: the walls were built out of concrete blocks; concrete-block-and-wood-beam floors were added; and to protect the house from winter gales, a concrete tower was poured to reinforce the structure.

Keeping Out The Rain

The outside concrete staircase and flat roof were built next. Traditional modernist roofs have a single layer of roofing felt, which offers little protection against the British climate. Tom's and Darron's roof was installed with plenty of insulation and three layers of high-tech roofing membrane to keep out the rain.

By late October, the chunky uPVC windows were fitted, just in time for the onset of bad weather. The handles weren't in the right places, but ordering replacements from the supplier in Germany would hold up the build for weeks, so they pressed ahead. The house was plasterboarded - working from top floor to bottom - and wired for scores of lights.

Meanwhile a representative of the council planning department visited twice to make sure the house was keeping to its size limits (it was), and Tom and Darron finally received permission to dig a septic tank in their garden. They raced ahead with the sanitation, interior fitting and external rendering and the house was completed bang on the end of the seven-month schedule. They had achieved the aim of all house builders: to be in by Christmas

How Green?

This house used vast quantities of concrete, which is one of the most polluting of all industrial materials to manufacture. But it was done in the interests of withstanding the elements - you have to trade off the initial pollution against the good effects of having a house with a long life. And the finish reflects a real knowledge of the local climate - two coats of stretchy, porous coating on the external walls should protect the house for at least 15 years, while the upstairs windows cleverly protect the metal mechanisms from exposure to the sea air.

The uPVC windows are also polluting to manufacture and hideously polluting to dispose of, since the material leaches chlorine. But again, there's a pay-off between environmental impact and performance here: it's difficult to see an alternative material performing as well and for as long in these very difficult conditions.