Andrea Millner

Who would have guessed what lies beneath?

architect-andrea — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 11:12:16 +0000

Who would have guessed what lies beneath?

Concealed below a quiet garden, this underground swimming pool, gym, and sauna form a hidden world of luxury and relaxation — all created through a bespoke architectural design.

Working within the garden of an estate cottage beside a Grade II listed walled garden in Worcestershire, Andrea Millner Architects designed the entire subterranean concept. The space can be entered in two ways: a discreet tunnel from the cottage itself, or a spiral staircase neatly concealed beneath a modest timber gazebo.

Follow the gently twisting tunnel and a grand timber door opens to reveal the unexpected. The interiors have been carefully designed with natural materials, warm lighting and exquisite finishes to create a calm, almost spa-like atmosphere. Above the pool, stretch ceilings sparkle with starlight, while in the gym, a canopy of silhouetted trees gives the feeling of a summer’s day all year round.

A hidden sanctuary — designed to feel almost magical, yet completely at home within the garden landscape.

Selfbuilder & Homemaker Magazine

architect-andrea — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:45:58 +0000

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

For Patsy Parr, getting approval and building her first home in her native rural Staffordshire meant overcoming countless hurdles, but project management experience, plus a bit of family knowledge, resulted in an award-winning build

TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD
IMAGES IZAAK CAAN

Getting her first step on the property ladder in the village she’d grown up in, with prices out of reach, meant Patsy Parr needed to do some creative thinking.

Seeing her mum build a house a few years prior “opened her eyes to the opportunity,” she explains. “lt was inspiring.” Finding a plot wasn’t easy, with land rarely coming on to the market. She says she “never thought land would come up in such a great area.”

It was when out for a run one day that she noticed a plot with an old workshop and stables on it. There was just one catch — it was already sold. “1 instantly went to them and said if anything happens please let me know,” Patsy explains. She was fortunate in picking up her phone when a ‘withheld’ number called, and heard that the agent was calling everyone on the waiting list to see if they had the credentials to go forward. She had “everything ready to go,” and so managed to get the land. “That was my first lesson in persistence,” Patsy says.

Patsy set about putting together vision boards with the help of an architect, Andrea Millner, who specialises in the design of oak framed houses. Patsy knew this was the material she wanted her house to be built of, to be sympathetic to the land it would be sitting on. “This site is surrounded by oak trees,” explains Patsy. “1 took images of oak frame buildings from Pinterest, and the architect agreed it just made sense for the surroundings. “

Patsy worked with two architects over the course of the project — Andrea was “very good at making it look beautiful” , explains Patsy, and Andy Denham from Eclipse Architecture was more involved with the practical side of the design, as well as “holding her hand” through the project management, says Patsy. “Having the two of them together was great.” The house features various changes in level throughout, and Andy ensured details such as head heights

Seeing her mum build a house a few years prior opened Palsy s eyes to the opportunity were considered and taken care of. He also guided Patsy through the project, advising her which subcontractors to arrange and what part of the process should be taken care of next. “It just made sense that they ran alongside each other,” says Patsy.

PLANNING FOR THE WORST
Once she had firmly set her heart on a contemporary look, Patsy says she “geared up for a battle,” which is exactly what she ended up with. It took around two and a half years for planning permission to finally be granted.

Patsy had a lot of conversations with family, and received a lot of help from her aunt, a journalist, who helped simplify the overcomplicated planning guidance she encountered online. She also had an appointment with a councilor, which turned was more frustrating than helpful. “They won’t really give you answers, even if you go with really direct questions,” she says. ” It’s very vague. That whole stretch I just found extremely frustrating. ” She did however encounter another planning officer further down the line who she says was “more helpful.”

As part of her mission to get approval Patsy spent time taking leaflets around to neighbours, explaining What she was hoping to do. “1 had quite a few people slam doors in my face; I really had to pick myself up after that,” she admits. This was one of the few times she felt like giving up on the project.

Patsy submitted an initial application which went through several rounds of amendments. Each time she was given reasons as to why it wasn’t being approved, and her architect used the feedback to make changes. She says it was a dispiriting experience: “They make you feel like it’s been rejected. I think there’ a massive lack of vision when it comes to planning, and young people wanting to do it — like it’s thought of as something they shouldn’t be doing.”

The main restrictions they had to work with related to the height and floor area — both of which couldn’t exceed those of the workshop and stables previously on the site. They combined the total floor area of both buildings to create one larger building, and dug down to create a basement level while keeping within the height restriction.

Finally, after two and a half years of meetings, amendments, and knocking on doors, Patsy was given one final chance at the end of 201 9 to present her plans and make her case at a local council meeting, before a vote. “l had to go through loads of hoops,” she explains. “But I got there in the end, I’m relentless!” In fact, she managed to swing it by a single vote.

Patsy decided to break for Christmas to relax before getting the ball rolling again in January 2020, creating the project plan including efficiently scheduling when which trades should come onsite. “When you speak to contractors they’ll tell you they can’t come in until such-and- such trade has been in, but I would see gaps in the schedule so I constantly had people onsite and working,” she explains.

After a thorough check for wildlife, which thankfully wasn’t an issue, work began demolishing the workshop and starting groundworks in February 2020. Although no wildlife was found, a habitat and ecology management plan had to be put in place and maintained, for which Patsy found a landscape architect helpful in implementing.

BUILDING THE HOUSE
As she was on a tightly controlled budget, Patsy took every opportunity to save money, and project managed the build herself (with the help of architect Andy). Despite the inevitable stress, she says she enjoyed it, particularly after the gruelling planning battle. “lt was intense,” she says. “But you’ve got control, and know where you are with stuff, so that felt a lot better.”

Patsy’s job involves delivering events — including the construction of large sets — so she says that many elements of project managing a self-build felt familiar, and “aligned to her skill set.”

One of the toughest parts of the experience to contend with was occasional bouts of misogyny — at one point she even had to ask workers to leave the site. “It’s still a male-dominated industry and it’s not very often that a young female runs the site,” she explains. The first scaffolders she hired refused to acknowledge her as the project manager and had to be asked to leave, while other contractors made occasional derogatory comments. “There were a few moments like that, but I also had some really golden people that were super helpful,” she adds. “1 think some took pity on me because I didn’t understand the lingo!”

Aside from the general running of the site and organisation of contractors and ordering of materials, Patsy’ role consisted of a lot of ferrying materials to keep the process moving. “1 felt like doing that meant they were never able to take their foot off the gas, because I was just constantly giving them the next thing they needed!”

Responsibility for ordering materials varied between Patsy and contractors, but she would price check anything she wasn’t ordering, to ensure the prices being quoted were reasonable. “If I could save any money then I was looking to do that,” she says. The oak frame company, Enville Oak, supplied everything needed for its construction, and her groundworker helped with the ordering of bricks as and when required. This was a slight frustration as she says that the bricklayers didn’t always say quickly enough that they were running out of supplies.

Patsy took care of ordering materials such as plasterboard, as well as cutting and installing the insulation herself. “l was really buzzing when I got the certificate to say that the house was well insulated,” she says proudly.

It was always Patsy’s intention to continue working and not take time off for the build. She set herself an office up in the stables —demolished at the end of the project— but ended up being furloughed in March 2020. “It was kind of a blessing in some ways because

I could be here all the time,” she says. She returned to work in July 2020, by which point they had “broken the back of it,” she explains. “It was just a case of being onsite to do those last few bits, and I was able to work from here anyway. ‘ Although being furloughed gave Patsy more time to spend onsite, she thinks that if she had remained working as normal, it would not have greatly hampered the timings of the build: ” It would have been harder, but I don’t know it would have taken longer,” she says. She laughs: “1 had a whip out!” She moved into her house in September 2020, With one minor delay caused by a tipped piece of wood — helping rainfall off the flat roof — being installed the wrong way round and needing to be redone.

Patsy agreed prices for all contractors upfront — “if they were onsite for longer I wasn’t paying any more,” and gave each a diary of when they were due onsite, detailed to coincide with daylight hours. Although she took a strict line, she did also make sure her workers were well looked after, including different breakfasts each day of the week, which “meant they liked coming to the site. “

The house was constructed using both oak frame for the single storey section and blockwork for the two storey section, with both elements finished with oak cladding. Patsy chose zinc for the roof, which inspired the houses name Little Gem, due to its sparkle.

As well as it being a harmonious material for the surroundings, she chose oak for its sustainability attributes, a very important element for Patsy. “1 work with a company called Energy Zone, and talked to them early on about how to make it as sustainable as possible,” she says. Along with the large windows, installing an air source heat pump was a “non-negotiable” she budgeted for from the start. There is also underfloor heating throughout the house.

INTERIOR
As you enter the large master bedroom with open plan ensuite is on the left, with this level also featuring the second bedroom and main bathroom (a Jack-and-Jill style affair shared with the second bedroom). At the end of the large hallway are stairs up to the kitchen — at ground level due to the sloping site. Here bi-fold doors frame a view of the nearby church, which was a key goal of Patsy’. From the second bedroom a set of stairs lead down to the basement level, housing a cosy living area, additional bathroom and plant/utility room. From here a set of spiral reclaimed stairs, shot blasted to colour-match the floor, take you back up to the kitchen.

Large windows, including within the gable end where the master bedroom sits— as well as skylights — have been installed throughout. Patsy used the same flooring throughout the whole house: “I think that’ important for making it feel bigger because your eyeline never breaks at any section,” she says.

With a strict build budget of £90,000 to stick to, Patsy found herself using creative thinking to save money wherever possible. An example was when she found (on Facebook Marketplace) an unused kitchen that had been intended for a show at the NEC, which was cancelled due to Covid. Patsy picked it up for £5,OO0) — including appliances!

Because the kitchen features no extraction or ventilation, Patsy was recommended to install a fire suppression system from Plumis. The panels housing the system are more discreet than more traditional systems, and in the event of a fire, it releases steam that reduces the oxygen in the air to suppress it. “It made sense to have them, and they’re pretty!” Patsy says.

When designing how the interior would look overall, Patsy aimed for a ’boutique’ modern style. Each room features a different colour scheme — purple in the master bedroom, yellow in the second bedroom, black and gold in the kitchen, and green in the living area. “1 feel like it reflects my personality in each room,” she says. “1 went with colours that I love.” Knowing the budget would be getting tight towards the end, Patsy bought a few statement pieces early on.

Having been living in the house for nearly two years, Patsy says she “loves everything about it. There isn’t anything I would change.” The house has won two awards: following a suggestion from the building inspector she put it forward for an I-ABC Building Excellence Award, in which it was Highly Commended. With added confidence, Patsy entered her home in the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2021 , and it won the Spirit of Self Build award —just as her mum’s project had, two years prior. “1 think we were a bit competitive!” she says.

Moving forwards, Patsy would like to see the Government introduce more opportunities for young people to undertake self- or custom-builds. “Quite often new builds are nothing like how you’d actually want to live,” she says. “1 think we’d have a lot more interesting property. I want to champion what a young person can do.”

As for whether she’ll do another build in the future, it’s a maybe, but not for a while. “1 would do it again in a heartbeat but I’m not in a rush,” she says. ” I’m just enjoying this one at the moment!”

Rural Gem – Homebuilding and Renovating Magazine

architect-andrea — Sat, 21 May 2022 09:20:58 +0000

RURAL GEM

After two gruelling years of planning, Patsy Parr took just 22 weeks to complete her first self-build – a modern take on a traditional oak framed home, complete with a boutique vibe.

HOMEOWNER Patsy Parr
LOCATION Kinver
PROJECT ROUTE Project managed by owner
BUILD TIME 22 weeks
BUILD SIZE 130m2
BUILD COST £191,000
VALUE Unknown
WORDS Alison Wall
PHOTOGRAPHY Jeremy Philips

Build plot bought JULY 2017

Final stages of Planning Submitted SEPTEMBER 2017

Planning achieved SEPTEMBER 2019
Breaking Ground FEBRUARY 2020

Watertight shell JUNE 2020

First fix July 2020

Second fix AUGUST 2020

Decoration completed SEPTEMBER 2020

Landscaping SEPTEMBER 2020

Moved in OCTOBER 2020

Tucked away in the village of Kinver in Staffordshire is an award-winning timber-clad house that any self-builder would be proud to call home.

What you can’t tell from the contemporary exterior is the determination, passion and drive that led local 28-year-old Patsy Parr to take on this project and see it through many months of planning before being built during a pandemic lockdown, in less than six months, and for just £191,000

Patsy, then renting in the village with little chance of getting on the property ladder, first spotted the plot on an early-morning run. “We called up the estate agents who told us that we had no chance as they had been inundated and it was sold subject to contract,” she says. “I decided we wouldn’t give up, so we went on the wait list and shot over to their office when we heard the sale had fallen through.” Her tenacity paid off and Patsy went on to buy the sloping parcel of land with its 50-plus trees. Luckily, the plot (nearly two acres in total) had an old timber and block workshop and cabin on it, with water and electricity, from the time it housed tourist tea rooms.

PLANNING RESTRICTIONS
Helped by family members, Patsy then spent two gruelling years Getting her proposals through planning, dealing with restrictions on everything from height to footprint size and choice of building materials. She even reworked the designs to change the position Of the house from the top of the site to the bottom.

“I literally wake up every morning and pinch myself. I can’t get over that I live here”

“The planning process was harder than the actual building process,” says Patsy. “I build huge stage sets and festival sets for a living, so to me the construction part just didn’t feel like a challenge—it was just like doing an event.”

Patsy might be underestimating her achievements here. In just 22 weeks, she successfully project managed her very first self-build, despite the pandemic. “We did have a bit of a wobble at the start of lockdown – I think everyone did – but we all worked round it really well and the team were brilliant,” she says. “We had a few gaps because of Covid and I think we would have perhaps gone even faster if it wasn’t for that, as it slowed down with getting materials and the workforce.”

Working with local oak frame company Enville Oak and contractor Chris Longmore she’s built a single-storey oak framed home at the front, sitting on a concrete slab foundation. At the rear is a two-storey blockwork section cut into the hillside with a Stepoc retaining wall system. This rear section houses the ground-floor kitchen, and basement snug, reached via two staircases from the ground floor. The contractors waterproofed the below-ground space using Everbuild Black Jack damp-proof membrane.

Cleverly, Patsy clad the whole exterior in timber, thus suggesting a whole-house oak frame construction without needing a large budget. “We also chose a modern standing seam zinc roof, which is sustainable and beautiful. I knew that I didn’t want a very traditional look that you can sometimes get with oak frame. I also went extra large on all of the windows, and spent a lot of my budget here, so the windows are huge and none are standard size. As this area is special, we wanted to be able to see outside from as many places as possible.”

TIGHT BUDGET

The construction may have gone smoothly, but working to a tight budget, even for a small two- bedroomed house, was no picnic.

“The budget was so extreme that we had to stick to — in the end we did it for El 91,000. Every penny mattered,” she says. Remarkably, given these constraints, she’s managed to install an air source heat pump and a fire suppression misting system for the open-plan kitchen and escape routes; eventually the flat roof on the blockwork section will become a green roof.

“We did have some nail-biting moments on site, though, such as when plastering costs doubled and I thought I couldn’t afford to plaster. That really slows you down because if you can’t get the walls plastered it’s a critical point. I’d already booked the plastering crew, so I needed to buy the stuff for them to do it.”

Another tricky moment was finding the money for the kitchen. “I didn’t actually realise how expensive kitchens are,” she admits. But she found her dream kitchen on Facebook Marketplace for just “The sellers just showed us a photograph of it and I thought — it looks great in the picture, let’s have it. It was a brand-new German kitchen on its way to an exhibition that was cancelled due to Covid. The appliances alone were worth more than the price I paid for the kitchen.”

Now that Patsy is settled into her new home, which she describes as having a ’boutique hotel’ feel, she’s busy with plans for the garden: “We’ve done loads of additional planting, and added hedgehog houses,” she says. “We’re hoping to have a beehive next year in the summer.” Still, with external works and decorating complete, she can afford to relax and enjoy her first home. “I literally wake up every morning and pinch myself. I can’t get over that I live here. It’s like a dream come true.”

Patsy spotted the plot, complete with old workshop and cabin, when out for a run. It would be two years before she could begin her build, slowed by planning.

The workshop was demolished and a huge trench dug to find the original electrical wiring so that the
groundworkers could safely avoid it.

The two-storey blockwork part of the build was erected first, constructed from a Stepoc retaining wall system; then the single-storey oak frame was erected.

The oak frame was fitted with a zinc roof with preformed insulated panels. The reflective nature of the zinc gives its name to the house: Little Gem.

The mezzanine floor for the kitchen, housed in the blockwork part of the house, uses engineered Posi-Joists.

A wet underfloor heating system was installed throughout and is powered by an air source heat pump.

OAK-FRAMED ENTRANCE
Patsy allowed plenty of space for a generous oak-framed hallway and circulation space. The wall lights were reclaimed from a barber shop that was closing down; the double stained-glass doors (below) were another reclamation find, this time from a rectory.

THE DETAILS

Acced via the kitchen, this spiral staircase is one of two staircases leading to the lower-ground-floor snug.

THE PLANS

GROUND FLOOR

LOWER GROUND FLOOR

SUPPLIERS
DESIGN ARCHITECT Andrea Millner: 07815 743238
ARCHITECT Eclipse Architecture: 01384 357740
MAIN CONTRACTOR Chris Longmore: www.chris-longmore.co.uk
OAK FRAME AND EXTERIOR CLADDING Enville Oak: unvw.envilleoakltd.com
FLOORING Ian Bristow Tiling: 07890 325208
WINDOWS Stourbridge Windows: 01384 431828
DOORS Howdens: www.howdens.com
FIRE SAFETY Plumis: www.plumis.co.uk

COSTS
KITCHEN £5,000
BATHROOMS £15,000
FLOORING £7,000
PLUMBING £5,000
ZINC ROOF £18,000
ELECTRIC HEAT AND LIGHTS £14,900
TIMBER FRAME AND WINDOW FITTING £55,200
GROUNDWORKS AND SCREED £49,800

Class AA conversion of a single storey bungalow to a four-storey house – a first for the Wyre Forest

architect-andrea — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 15:17:00 +0000

Class AA conversion of a single storey bungalow to a four-storey house – a first for the Wyre Forest

New permitted development rights, which came into force only in August 2020, have opened up fresh horizons for extensions to homes, giving the ability to create additional storeys without the need for full planning permission. Andrea was keen to take advantage of the new ‘Class AA’ provisions and design a fabulous, five-bedroomed home for a Worcestershire family. Her plans more than quadruple the size of the original bungalow without overwhelming the plot and, at all times, being sympathetic to the surrounding landscape.

The Brief

A family purchased Manor House Farm, a sprawling 1970s bungalow in the countryside, near Hagley, with a view to knocking it down and building their dream home. The family wanted a five bedroomed house and open plan family living – but otherwise the clients gave Andrea free range in the design. True to her ethos of creating elegant, beautiful and timeless homes that deliver the wow factor – as well as working on a practical level – she set about weaving her magic.

The Creative Solution

Andrea worked closely with an initially sceptical local authority, which limits extensions to homes in the Green Belt to 75 per cent of the original building. Making use of Permitted Development and the new ‘Class AA’ provisions she managed to gain approval for a much larger home. Clever design techniques have been used to reduce the building’s impact on the Green Belt.
The new building – increasing the volume of the original bungalow’s living quarters from just under 1,000 cubic metres to 4,323 cubic metres – will hide a substantial amount of its additional space in the basement, where there will be a glass-walled wine cellar, a sauna, shower room and generous home gym. The open plan family room will boast a 6.5m high vaulted ceiling and a covered outdoor lounge with open fire and brick chimney – perfect for chillier summer evenings. Four of the bedrooms – all en-suite – will be on the first floor and the attic will house a generous fifth bedroom suite complete with balcony.

The result

Andrea said: “I am excited that this is the first ‘Class AA’ conversion that has been granted in the Wyre Forest District. The planning stage was quite difficult as it was a learning curve for the local authority in dealing with the new guidelines.”
She added: “I always aim to avoid the humdrum developer housing style, working with the clients to create something elegant and beautiful. I believe that, here, I have set an individual tone, the sense of arriving at somewhere special.”
Work has now started on site and is programmed for completion in September 2022.

Watch this space as this client’s dream becomes reality!

Eco self-build project in Kinver shortlisted for top award

architect-andrea — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 13:04:19 +0000

Eco self-build project in Kinver shortlisted for top award

Original Article – By Bev Holder, Stourbridge News

An unusual oak framed eco self-build home in Kinver has been shortlisted for a top national homebuilding award.

Little Gem, built just off The Compa, has made the finals of The Daily Telegraph Homebuilding and Renovating Awards 2021.

Little Gem – built just off The Compa in Kinver

Patsy Parr, aged 28, commissioned the project to turn an abandoned workshop tucked away in the village into an eco-friendly and affordable first home.

Little Gem – side view by woods

Working with architects Eclipse and specialist oak frame company Enville Oak, based in Enville, she managed to build the quirky home for £191,000

Patsy Parr inside her eco-friendly oak framed new build in Kinver

Patsy, who battled through two years of planning negotiations to bring the project to fruition, said: “It was very challenging. The site is sloping, there are lots of protected trees and it was a very tight, small space we were building on. And of course, there was Covid.

“The lads from Enville Oak were supportive and did what was asked of them. We worked together really, really well.”

Enville Oak was started in a back garden by colleagues and friends Ben Turley and Ben Fern who moved to a yard at the working Enville family estate three years ago.

The Enville Oak yard

Word quickly spread about their traditional solid oak frames, which are handmade on the estate.

Company secretary Rose McMahon said: “Commercially we had worked on much larger projects but Patsy’s was the first we had been involved in from the planning stage.

Patsy Parr

“It was a really nice experience working with Patsy, she’s certainly the youngest project manager we have dealt with. She was incredibly efficient, the project was very well co-ordinated and she knew exactly what she wanted.”

Patsy Parr

The project is among 23 shortlisted for the Home of the Year 2021 award.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/property/2019/12/05/former-garage-plot-transformed-into-award-winning-bijou-village-home/

Built in 15 Weeks – Homebuilding & Renovating magazine

architect-andrea — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 09:26:14 +0000

Built in 15 Weeks

Original Article – Homebuilding & Renovating magazine

Words by Michelle Guy and Photography by Jeremy Phillips

This beautiful two-bedroomed oak frame home won the spirit of self-build award for a reason – the tenacity and vision of homeowner Samantha Parr and the skill of her local build team

HOMEOWNER Samantha Parr
LOCATION South Staffordshire
PROJECT Oak frame self-build
BUILD ROUTE Project managed subcontractors
BUILD SIZE 140m2
BUILD TIME 15 weeks
PLOT COST Already owned
BUILD COST £175k
CURRENT VALUE £425k

When a turn of events meant Samantha Parr had to move out of and sell her family home in a beautiful South Staffordshire village, she wanted to find a way to stay on the high street she’d grown to love over the past 20 years. Never one to shirk a challenge, Samantha had the idea of turning a redundant garage she owned at the back of the high street into a home on a plot no bigger than 140m2. “Most people I told said I’d never get planning to build on the site but I’m one of these people who see an opportunity and thinks ‘let’s go for it!’ So I blindly went ahead and put plans in anyway,” recalls Samantha.

And she was right to go ahead. The planning process was pretty straightforward. Conditions were placed only on the fabric and materials used for the building (the cladding, bricks and roof tiles) because the plot resides in a conservation area. “Because I had a strong idea of what I wanted, coupled with a really supportive planning officer who understood what I was trying to do, the plans were passed,” says Samantha. “I knew I wanted a Swiss-style chalet so I put all of my ideas together on a moodboard. I then visited Prime Oak – who normally build orangeries bigger than the size of my plot! – and they were really positive and thought it would be fine to crane in so were happy to proceed.” Once plans were passed, Samantha had a short timescale to build as she needed somewhere to live, so it was all systems go.

PROJECT TIMELINE
Planning submitted January 2017
Planning approved June 201 7
Works began July 2017
Complete October 2017

ALLEYWAY ACCESS
This is the 2m high opening to the quaint alleyway that is the only access point to the plot. It was a challenge for all the trades involved, but one they all dealt with superbly nonetheless.

RESTRICTED ACCESS
Although planning was pretty straightforward, the site and access to it was another matter entirely. The plot was nestled down the back of a narrow, quaint cobbled alleyway, which was flanked on either side by independent cafés and shops. To further complicate matters, the entrance arch leading into this alleyway had a 2m-height restriction. When the oak frame company saw the all of this for the first time, they quickly realised they wouldn’t be able to crane the frame in, so they had to drag the oak through on a hand-held roller! “It was definitely back to basics, literally moving the frame piece by piece,” says Samantha.

And this restrictive access also affected all the trades on site. The builder who did the groundworks had to excavate 50 tonnes of soil from the plot; the services — gas, water and electricity — all had to come in off the high street, which had to be dug up three times. “Getting the gas connected was a massive job. I tried to get shared access [for the services] but I couldn’t, so the street and alleyway were dug up.” The lay of the land also meant that a pump had to be installed to get water up to the property. “It was a real challenge,” recalls Samantha.

Having neighbours en route to the building site was another huge consideration for Samantha and her team. “The shops are shut on a Monday, so we’d take full advantage of that. The first load of any materials would arrive at around 5.30am to make sure we were there outside of the shops’ usual opening hours. One Saturday morning my daughter and I moved all the blocks together by hand before the shops opened. I supplied the shop owners with cake and offered to clean their windows to apologise for all the inconvenience,” says Samantha.

On such a small plot tensions did, undoubtedly rise. “Towards the end there were around 20 people on site so it got a bit tense. But I’d use some positive energy and herd them all back together,” laughs Samantha, who took on the role of project manager. “I provided a themed breakfast every Friday for the trades on site, to rally some team spirit, and we all ploughed on as a dynamic team.”

Samantha’s team consisted of local skilled trades, including an 80-year-old local bricky, called Dickie, who Samantha brought out of retirement having met him in a chance encounter while walking her dogs. “Dickie was telling me about how back in the day you hired a clerk of work to oversee all the work on site so I employed him as my clerk of work,” recalls Samantha. “Fit as a fiddle he was. The only digger small enough to get through the alleyway was a digger used for digging graves that Dickie drove. He brought years and years of experience to site. The guys loved him, and all of his stories!” The rest of the subcontractors included oak framers, roofers, electricians, gas fitters and plumbers.

DESIGN TRICK
Samantha has used a brilliant design trick to create, the illusion that the first floor livingspace is bigger than it is. The gable end wall by the kitchen looks ‘open’, as if the floorplan continues beyond, but it’s actually a clever use of mirrors on the wall above the units that are in fact reflecting the feature light and the rest of the architecture.

Samantha and her team of skilled trades built the house in just 15 weeks… an extraordinary feat given the plot restrictions and having never self-built before

THE MATERIALS
The bricks used at the rear and side of the house were colour matched at EH Smith builders’ merchant brick library to tie in with the surrounding buildings. The roof tiles were specified reclaimed handmade Staffordshire Plain blue. On the underside, each tile still has the name of the little girls who made them.

THE FLOORPLAN
The house features an upside-down layout, with the two bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor. A staircase in the middle of the floorplan brings you up into the open-plan kitchen and living area, with glazed gable and balcony at one end.

FIRST FLOOR
I Kitchen
2 Living room
3 Balcony

GROUND FLOOR
1 Hallway
2 Bedroom
3 Bathroom
4 Terrace

MAKING A SMALL HOME FEEL BIGGER
Samantha and her team of skilled trades built the house in just 15 weeks, which is quite an extraordinary feat given the plot restrictions and having never self-built before.

The result is a beautifully formed oak frame home. It’s an upside-down house with two bedrooms and bathrooms located on the ground floor and a first floor that boasts a wonderful open-plan kitchen and living area with a glazed gable and small balcony. Jack and Jill doors mean one of the ground floor bathrooms functions as both an ensuite and a bathroom for visitors. The warmth of the oak beams throughout the house is so homely yet the high ceiling gives the room a sense of loftiness and airiness, which makes the space feel bigger than it is.

Samantha’s eye for interior design, and buying reclaimed where she can, is expressed in her home with reclaimed doors and lights hung throughout, all adding charm and character to the rooms. So what does Samantha think about her aptly named home, Little Lodge? “The floorplan is small on paper but I just use all the space. It’s quiet, private, safe and peaceful. And the location is just great — on a beautiful high street, with views out that change with the seasons. I can’t see myself moving anytime soon.”

COSTS
Kitchen (fitted, with appliances) – £7,000
Bathrooms, underfloor heating and plumbing – £14,OOO
Electrics (internal and external) and alarm – £IO,OOO
Frame, windows, and roof supply, erect and fit – £85,OOO
Groundworks (removal of 50 tonnes of soil) – £22,000
Gas connection – £558
Electric connection – £2,300
Water connection – £2,000
Decorating – £2,000
Bricklayers – £3,000
Plastering – £2,000
Insulation/plasterboard – £1,800
Flooring/tiling – £4,200
Staircase – £1,500

KEY SUPPLIERS
KITCHEN – Howdens: www.howdens.com
BATHROOMS – Bathstore: www.bathstore.com
OAK FRAME – Prime Oak: www.primeoak.co.uk
ARCHITECT – Andrea Millner: www.andrea-millner.com
LIGHTS – Doolally Stourbridge: www.doolallyinstourbridge.co.uk
STAIRCASE – Stair Designs Limited: stairdesigns@btconnect.com, 01384 412037

BUDGET BUY
Another chance encounter on a dog walk led to Samantha meeting someone who supplied industrial staircases. Samantha new they’d have something she could buy from them that would fit her budget, and this is the result. It cost £1,500.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
Throughout the house the oak frame is given centre stage. In both bedrooms and bathrooms, for example, the frame has been used to add architectural merit to the design aesthetic. The beams in the bedroom suggest a ‘headboard’ and in the en suite, a nook for the bath to reside in.

THE BUILD
A concrete slab was chosen as the floor construction, with a vapour control layer (VCL) poured underneath. On top of the concrete slab there’s a 100mm layer of polyurethane board floor insulation and a 75mm thick screed.

The oak frame went up pretty quickly in three weeks, with a four-person strong team erecting the frame. The inner leaf is built from insulated timber frame infill panels. From outside in the thermal envelope consists of vertical oak cladding boards, fixed to vertical battens on a breathable sarking membrane on OSB sheathing, which is fixed to the stud wall. A 30mm cavity was provided by timber stop battens. A 7()mm Kingspan Kooltherm k12 framing board was used between the studs and overdrawn with 32.5mm Kingspan Kooltherm K 18 insulated plasterboard. This construction was chosen to provide a U value of 0.25 W/m2K.

Top award for unique Kinver self-build home Little Lodge

architect-andrea — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 15:02:00 +0000

Top award for unique Kinver self-build home Little Lodge

Original Article – Stourbridge News

ARCHITECT Andrea Millner has clinched a top national award for her work on designing a bijou Kinver residence that packs a mighty punch.

Little Lodge in Kinver, designed by Andrea Millner, which has won the Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating award for ‘Spirit of Self-Build’. Photo: Lyndon Darkes

It may be small and on a ‘tricky’ site – but Little Lodge, tucked away in the Chenevare Mews shopping mall, off Kinver High Street – has proved to be a towering light in the world of architecture.

The two-bedroomed, oak-framed house – now the dream home of Kinver marketing and advertising agency boss Samantha Parr – has won the 2019 Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating award in the competition’s ‘Spirit of Self-Build’ section.

Both Andrea and Samantha – who managed the self-build project herself, completing the construction within just 15 weeks – are delighted to have earned the accolade.

Little Lodge owner Samantha Parr (left) and architect Andrea Millner on the balcony of the award-winning house. Photo: Amy Breeze

Michelle Guy, assistant editor of Homebuilding and Renovating magazine, said: “This beautifully designed compact self-build is a master class in what can be achieved in a remarkable 15 weeks with a clear vision, a dose of tenacity and sheer grit. Building on such a tight site wasn’t easy but with the traders, designers and homeowner all working together, the result is a house that’s packed full of well-crafted detail and personality.”

Andrea, based at her family home in Drakelow Lane, Wolverley, said: “We were chuffed to bits to have even been shortlisted for such a prestigious national award and quite literally bowled over to find out we have won.”

Samantha said: “I love my home and its location in the heart of this historic village. The team of people who helped realise my vision were brilliant. I was on a tight timescale and budget.”

Architect Andrea Millner (left) and advertising agency boss Samantha Parr, pictured with her mini schnauzer Ronnie, inside the award-winning ‘Little Lodge’ in Kinver. Photo: Amy Breeze

She added: “Andrea was great at flooding light into the property with the use of glass and the design maximises space as it has a vaulted ceiling. I used local builders and sourced materials locally, from the concrete to the conservation approved bricks. I also am passionate about interior designer and delighted in finding unusual pieces locally and commissioning work including the stairs from the company that did the staircase at Banks’s Brewery.”

The site that Samantha chose for her new home measures just 10m by 14m and formerly housed a double garage. It presented some tough issues for Andrea to grapple with as it was in a flood zone, with shallow sewers, in a conservation area and next to the Grade II listed old Midland Bank premises, originally built in the late 17th century.

The result of the teamwork is a grand design with a vaulted ceiling, flooded with light, that delivers the ‘wow factor’.

Andrea said the challenge was to create a private house on a compact site, without a sense of overlooking – or being overlooked – while also protecting the conservation area and the setting of a Grade II listed building.

She added: “The result is a home full of light and warmth, with controlled views out over the trees bordering the flood plain of the River Stour, with multiple views of the sky.

“It is a home that sits comfortably in its environment, was completed on budget and within 15 weeks. And it’s all because of the great working relationship between the construction team members, the client, architect, specialist contractors and the local authority building inspector for South Staffordshire.”

Samantha selected the building materials of French oak, supplied by Prime Oak, a company based in Swindon, near Kinver, and the specialist bricks and reclaimed roof tiles. The building was manufactured off site and transported to Chenevare Mews piece by piece.

The energy-efficient building used the latest construction techniques but, because of such restricted access to the site, the 2m deep foundations had to be laid through hand digging, alongside the use of a mini digger.

The north elevation of award-winning Little Lodge, designed by Wolverley architect Andrea Millner. Photo: Lyndon Darkes

Due to the constriction of surrounding buildings, the house has been ‘flipped’ so the main, open plan living spaces are upstairs, where the vaulted ceiling allows light to flood down the staircase even to the bedrooms on the lower level. A raised ground floor was incorporated to overcome the flood plain issue.

Samantha said: “I have spent most of my life in Kinver and love the village. I had always wanted to build my own home and had a small piece of land off the High Street which threw up many challenges, including access.

“Wherever possible I have tried to play an active part in the community. I developed the old doctor’s surgery, which was awarded best frontage in the Kinver Best Kept Village award and I am thrilled with the success of my latest venture, Little Lodge.

“It was a steep learning curve for me but consulting and engaging with the parish council and local council helped enormously. The local authority building inspector was brilliant and said it was the nicest building he had worked on in a 40-year career.”

https://www.stourbridgenews.co.uk/news/18086887.top-award-unique-kinver-self-build-home-little-lodge/

Former garage plot transformed into award-winning bijou village home

architect-andrea — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:52:58 +0000

Former garage plot transformed into award-winning bijou village home

Original Article – Express & Star

An architect has clinched a top national award for her work on designing a bijou residence near Stourbridge that packs a mighty punch.

It may be small and on a ‘tricky’ site – but “Little Lodge”, tucked away down the Chenevare Mews shopping mall, off Kinver High Street – has proved to be a towering light in the world of architecture.

Both architect Andrea Millner and Samantha – who managed the self-build project herself, completing the construction within just 15 weeks – are delighted to have earned the accolade.

Little Lodge in Kinver, designed by Andrea Millner, which has won the Daily Telegraph Homebuilding & Renovating award for ‘Spirit of Self-Build’. Photo: Lyndon Darkes

“Building on such a tight site wasn’t easy but with the traders, designers and homeowner all working together, the result is a house that’s packed full of well-crafted detail and personality.”

She graduated from the Birmingham School of Architecture as one of the top two students on her course and has since worked on designs including a £1 million apartment in Birmingham, a women’s refuge in Ludlow, villas abroad, as well as new houses and extensions.

Little Lodge owner Samantha Parr (left) and architect Andrea Millner on the balcony of the award-winning house. Photo: Amy Breeze

Samantha said: “I love my home and its location in the heart of this historic village. The team of people who helped realise my vision were brilliant. I was on a tight timescale and budget.”

She added: “Andrea was great at flooding light into the property with the use of glass and the design maximises space as it has a vaulted ceiling.

“I used local builders and sourced materials locally, from the concrete to the conservation approved bricks.

“I also am passionate about interior designer and delighted in finding unusual pieces locally and commissioning work including the stairs from the company that did the staircase at Banks’s Brewery.”

The site that Samantha chose for her new home measures just 10m by 14m and formerly housed a double garage.

It presented some tough issues for Andrea to grapple with as it was in a flood zone, with shallow sewers, in a conservation area and next to the Grade II listed old Midland Bank premises, originally built in the late 17th century.

The result of the teamwork is a grand design with a vaulted ceiling, flooded with light, that delivers the ‘wow factor’.

The north elevation of award-winning Little Lodge, designed by Wolverley architect Andrea Millner. Photo: Lyndon Darkes

Andrea explained that the challenge was to create a private house on a compact site, without a sense of overlooking – or being overlooked – while also protecting the conservation area and the setting of a Grade II listed building.

She added: “The result is a home full of light and warmth, with controlled views out over the trees bordering the flood plain of the River Stour, with multiple views of the sky.

Architect Andrea Millner (left) and advertising agency boss Samantha Parr, pictured with her mini schnauzer Ronnie, inside the award-winning ‘Little Lodge’ in Kinver. Photo: Amy Breeze

Due to the constriction of surrounding buildings, the house has been ‘flipped’ so that the main, open plan living spaces are upstairs, where the vaulted ceiling allows light to flood down the staircase even to the bedrooms on the lower level. A raised ground floor was incorporated to overcome the flood plain issue.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/property/2019/12/05/former-garage-plot-transformed-into-award-winning-bijou-village-home/

Wow factor of “little” house puts Wolverley architect in running for top design award

architect-andrea — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:54:00 +0000

Wow factor of “little” house puts Wolverley architect in running for top design award

Original Article – Ledbury Reporter By Gurdip Thandi

AN IMPRESSIVE small house is packing a huge punch for a Wolverley architect who has been shortlisted for a coveted industry award.

Two-bedroomed ‘Little Lodge’ – tucked away off Kinver High Street in the Chenevare Mews shopping mall – has been shortlisted for the West Midlands Local Authority Building Control (LABC) awards in the ‘best individual new home’ section.

The bijou house was designed by 52-year-old Andrea Millner, after she was commissioned to design it by owner marketing and advertising agency boss Samantha Parr.

Architect Andrea Millner (left) and advertising agency boss Samantha Parr outside “Little Lodge”, which has been shortlisted for a design award.

“Little Lodge”, designed by architect Andrea Millner, which has been shortlisted for a design award.

It is based on a small plot – measuring just 10m by 14m and formerly housing a double garage.

And it’s the second time that Andrea, aged 52, has been selected as a contender for the award – she won it in 2014 for her work on a seven-bedroomed house in Alvechurch, near Redditch.

Andrea said: “I’m bowled over to have been shortlisted again – this time for a small, two-bedroomed house which still manages to produce the wow factor, thanks to the way we overcame the restrictions imposed by the site.

“The challenge was to create a private house, on a compact site, without a sense of overlooking or being overlooked, whilst protecting the conservation area and the setting of a Grade II listed building.

“It is a home that sits comfortably in its environment, was completed on budget and within 14 weeks.

Samantha chose the building materials of French oak and specialist bricks and reclaimed roof tiles and the energy-efficient house was manufactured off site and transported piece by piece.

Due to the constriction of surrounding buildings, the house has been “flipped” so that the main, open plan living spaces are upstairs, where the vaulted ceiling allows light to flood down the staircase even to the bedrooms on the lower level.

“I am thrilled my new venture Little Lodge is on the shortlist of the LABC Building Excellence Awards.”

The LABC awards will be held on July 7 in Telford and, if successful, Little Lodge will compete at the national grand finals in London on November 10.

https://www.ledburyreporter.co.uk/news/regional/15365769.wow-factor-of-little-house-puts-wolverley-architect-in-running-for-top-design-award/

Award winning family home is magical

architect-andrea — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 20:43:00 +0000

Award winning family home is magical

Original Article – Redditch & Alcester Advertiser

LOOK out Grand Designs – an Alvechurch family’s home has been been awarded a prestigious building design award.

The Drift, a contemporary house with floor to ceiling glazed gables in Rowney Green Lane, has won Best Individual New Home for architect Andrea Millner, in the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) awards West of England region.

It is the home of Ian and Sadie Dykes and their children who bought the site of The Drift, when it was a tired looking 1970s four-bedroomed house.

They wanted an extension to create an extra bedroom but their builder suggested that the existing house could be demolished and replaced with a brand new home with six ensuite bedrooms and an upstairs study for very little cost difference.

Before: What the previous home looked like.

After: What the family’s home is like now.

Mrs Dykes said: “I’d found a picture in a magazine of a house we really liked and asked Andrea to design something like it.

“She was great at interpreting what we wanted – and she has created our ideal home for our family to grow up in.”

The Drift, which has been hailed by planners as a shining beacon of modern design, incorporating green conservation techniques that still deliver the wow factor.

It is an imposing, individual, oak-clad home with trademark vaulted ceilings and trusses of walnut and stainless steel

Mrs Dykes, who has been living there for one year now, added: “Our family home is magical. And to know that it is also an award winner is wonderful.

“The children are so proud they took the award to show their friends and teachers at Crown Meadow First School.”

Andrea said: “I do try to add the wow factor to all of the projects I work on – often vaulted ceilings and lots of light – but it always has to be in a way that helps a house to flow well and to work on a practical level.”

https://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/news/11303264.award-winning-family-home-is-magical/