It was 2017 when me and my mum teamed up to purchase our farm. My husband Ben, myself and our two children planned to live in the main farmhouse while mum was to design a modern, architecturally beautiful annexe for herself to live in.

Mum’s always loved the idea of living among the trees in a home that feels immersed in the natural environment. Like most farms, we are blessed with having a number of outbuildings. The old milking parlor, built in the 1950s using local beach pebble concrete blocks was perhaps the most unattractive. However, its location was perfect for mum’s house.

Discussions with local planning took place and with the support of our neighbors, it was agreed we could demolish the ugly barn and replace it with a larch clad, super energy efficient eco home.

We started work at the start of June 2018 and hoped to be completed by Easter 2019. In the end the build will have taken us 12 months instead of the anticipated 10 months. Ben, who just so happens to be a carpenter and builder by trade, has amazingly managed to build the annexe solo, with the occasional help from our lovely family and friends.