Only stone and thatch would work

From the look of Russell and Janet Robson's cottage (far right) in a Dorset village, you would think it had been built over centuries. The garage, with its clay-tiled roof, looks like a latter addition to the thatched building, while the weatherboarded southern end, with its hipped gable, resembles an agricultural building incorporated into the main house. Close inspection reveals that it is a new build.

Russell, a house designer and conversion specialist, has designed many homes in England and overseas but this is his first complete self-build. There had been outline planning consent for a new dwelling on the site for many years. The Robsons encountered little difficulty with the detailed planning application, having realised that, with a sensitive site in the heart of a conservation area, in a picture-postcard village, something in a very traditional style was likely to raise few objections.

"Only a 'new old' house could look right in a village like this, where there is a preponderance of stone and thatch," Russell says.

He was determined to keep to his budget of a maximum £500 a sq m. Savings were made by using reclaimed materials. The huge oak beams in the downstairs ceiling were a gift from a house-restorer friend. Another saving that paid off was the hall floor. It came from a fallen chestnut tree that Russell spotted in the field of a local landowner.

The couple were not prepared to compromise on the underfloor heating, installed on both floors. "The house is very warm and cosy in winter, helped by the thatch and high levels of insulation in the walls and floor. It is also easy to maintain and we think it looks just right in its setting."

The full version of this feature is in the April issue of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, on sale now.