The house is raised above the ground to allow flooding of the site
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Julia Kendell, an interior designer best known for her role on BBC’s DIY SOS, reveals how she built her riverside home that’s the epitome of eco living
After completing a Victorian house renovation with her partner, Andrew, Julia was searching for her next challenge when she stumbled across a site in the beautiful riverside hamlet of Charvil in Berkshire. ‘One of my guilty pleasures is spending hours looking at properties around the world on Primelocation. I was looking for houses along the Thames, not thinking for a moment that I’d find one within our budget, when I came across the opportunity to build from scratch. We’d never thought about it, but when it came to it we wouldn’t have considered anything but an eco build. As usual, the estate agents described it as “needing a little work”, but when we arrived at the viewing Andrew put his foot through the rotten floor. That said, we could see the tremendous potential of the plot. Sited at the end of a private road, with an undisturbed view of the River Thames on one side and open fields at the back, we fell in love with it.’
The original site was a 1920s shack on a 0.7-acre plot of land, which they pulled down. Chris Tapp, Henley architect and Julia’s friend, helped to design the structure of the five-bedroom house. Andrew project-managed and Julia designed the interiors, lighting system and added a touch of glamour with his and hers walk-in wardrobes. Julia and Andrew share their home with Julia’s daughters Maddy, 19, and Sophie, 16, and Andrew’s boys Fred, 19 and Charles, 15, when they visit from their home in Australia.
Julia’s love of all things eco inspired her to design the house with as many ecological features as possible, ‘I have a passion for wildlife, scuba-diving and nature, so I believe it is hypocritical to live a high impact lifestyle which is damaging to the environment. Everyone should play their part in acting responsibly and doing whatever possible to minimise their footprint. As with everything, this starts at home.’
The house has an impressive list of eco credentials – constructed using mainly natural or recycled materials; all the wood used in the house is from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited sources. Using passive solar windows, an air ventilation system, and a natural heating and water system means there is virtually no energy loss from the house. Julia says, ‘The house is heated using a water-filled under-floor heating system supplied by a closed-loop heat pump. Normally, heat pumps draw their energy from the ground, but we have placed it at the bottom of the boat dock directly into the river. The water temperature of the river rarely drops below 10 degrees in winter. Ground loop systems are typically designed for a source temperature of 0 degrees, so the river offers a much more effective source and water to the house is provided by a borehole. The build system we used meant that we only filled two skips for the duration of the build, and that was mostly packaging we couldn’t dispose of ourselves.’
The interiors are eco-friendly too – all the fabrics used are natural wools, linen and silks, the walls are painted using organic paints and the lighting is largely low-energy. The most futuristic part of the house is the 24ft garage, which in the event of the river flooding (all too often on the banks of the Thames), an electrically powered mechanical lifting system elevates the garage and its contents by 5ft. It even has a “float switch”, which raises it automatically if it senses water.
The couple were able to secure planning permission on their first application, as the local planning authority were excited about the eco-prospects of the build and they didn’t “over-do it” in terms of the size of the property. However, the house wasn’t without its problems. ‘There will always be unforeseen problems, ours were the two pipistrelle bats we were required to relocate at a huge expense. We could have sent them on a Caribbean cruise for the cost of rehousing them! Another difficulty arose when Andrew fell off a ladder whilst showing his brother the house before the staircase had been installed. He broke all of the bones in his left leg and his shoulder very badly. He was confined to bed for three months and a wheelchair for a further two. That didn’t stop him project managing though – he had regular meetings with the tradesmen and suppliers from his bed.’
A huge benefit of the house is its energy efficiency has helped to massively reduce the family’s bills. ‘Our energy bills have been reduced by 60 per cent. Up until recently, having an environmentally friendly home was considered by most to be available only to the wealthy. Now though, there are many very exciting ways to insulate and provide energy for your home. There are new technologies that pay for themselves in very little time, from passive solar energy to rainwater harvesting.’ Though Julia used her DIY expertise to design the house, she’s adamant that people with no knowledge of building could still construct their own home, ‘The key to success is in the planning. If you are passionate about your outcome, research thoroughly and employ trustworthy tradespeople, it is entirely possible. Any gap in your knowledge can be filled by asking experts.’
The house has been a big hit with the whole family. Julia’s daughters love the clean lines and social spaces in the house, while her favourite room is the study, ‘It’s actually an open area on the landing that looks down to the kitchen through an opening in the ceiling. It’s very peaceful but I still feel connected to the rest of the family and regularly shout down my requests for tea.’ Already keen to start on a new project, Julia plans to start another self-build in the next year or two, ‘We’re already considering another build using the experiences we have learned along the journey and the new technologies now available.’ Julia is also writing a new book on DIY for women and will be presenting seminars on design at the National Home Improvement Show at Earls Court in October, and has two more series of DIY SOS in the pipeline.
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