A heartbroken family can’t face returning to the gutted remains of the dream home they built with their own hands after fire struck on New Year’s Day.
Simon and Jasmine Dale are staying with friends 40 miles away while they consider their future after being made homeless by the blaze in the Welsh countryside near Crymych in Pembrokeshire.
The couple’s home, which was built for £27,000 and featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs, is still smouldering but nothing can be salvaged from the wreckage in the sustainable community of Lammas Ecovillage.
However the pair and their two children aged 14 and 13 have been given some hope, with well-wishers already raising more than £15,000 of the £20,000 they need for a rebuild project through the JustGiving website.
The eco-house in Pembrokeshire that was featured in Channel 4 programme Grand Designs has been destroyed in a fire
The home is still smouldering but nothing can be salvaged from the wreckage in the sustainable community of Lammas
The heartbroken family can’t face returning to the gutted remains of the dream home they built with their own hands
Firefighters spent more than six hours tackling the blaze on New Year’s Day, but the home was ‘burned to the ground’
Mrs Dale, 43, was home alone when a faulty electric heater sparked the blaze. Mr Dale, 39, and the children – whose possessions and school work were all destroyed in the fire – were visiting relatives a few miles away.
Their close friend and neighbour Andy Wells, 51, said: ‘She managed to get out safely then had to stand there as the home they built and loved disappeared in a short time.
‘We got in touch with Simon but we told him not to come – it would have been too much for him and the children to see.’
With the help of up to 100 volunteers the couple created a home of great beauty in Carmarthenshire, where they have lived happily for six years.
Mr Dale is the driving force of a community of nine stakeholders who share a 76 acre site, all doing their best to live off the land, growing their own vegetables and rearing sheep, pigs and poultry.
Simon and Jasmine Dale, pictured with Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud, are staying with friends 40 miles away
The family have been made homeless by the horrifying blaze in the Welsh countryside near Crymych in Pembrokeshire
Mrs Dale, 43, was home alone when a faulty electric heater sparked the blaze at the house, which was built for £27,000
Mr Dale is the driving force of a community of nine stakeholders who share a 76 acre site in Pembrokeshire
Mr Dale and the children – whose possessions were all destroyed in the fire – had been visiting relatives a few miles away
They have broadband and mobile phones although TVs are not popular with the 30 or so residents.
Mr Dale is seen as the most practical tenant at Llamas. He designed and built a hydro electric power scheme that provides cheap and sustainable electricity.
Former Sheffield steelworker Mr Wells, one of the stakeholders, said: ‘We have done everything by the book here, we have all developed sustainable businesses.
‘But no one does it better then Simon and Jasmine, they are the models here and themes valuable members of the community.
‘Losing their home is a terrible shock for them but it’s affected us all. They put six years of their lives into it, it is very emotional for them.’
The home’s owner Mr Dale designed and built a hydro electric power scheme that provides cheap and sustainable electricity
The community have broadband and mobile phones although TVs are not popular with the 30 or so residents
The couple had £500 in the bank when they started the project and used earth, local timber and straw for the construction
The community share a 76 acre site, all doing their best to live off the land, growing their own vegetables and rearing sheep
People have poked fun comparing their eco home to the house of straw built by the three little pigs in the children’s fairy story. But the straw was the last to go when the fire took hold at 1.30pm on Monday.
Mr Wells said: ‘Straw is so tightly compacted that air can’t get into it – it was nothing to do with the nature of the building.
‘The house went up like any other property would – the only difference is that Simon and Jasmine built it themselves.’
Up to 20 firemen spent six hours battling to save the house, described as ‘Britain’s cheapest home’ in the Grand Designs show in 2016. The fire was stopped before it reached the eight other houses in the village.
The couple had just £500 in the bank when they started the project and used earth, local timber and straw for the construction, furnishing it with purchases from car boot sales and eBay.
With the help of up to 100 volunteers the couple created a home of great beauty in the Pembrokeshire countryside
Well-wishers have already raised £15,000 of a £20,000 target for the family. Another house in the eco-village is pictured
The couple have been given a temporary home 40 miles away while they come to terms with losing their unique home
A page has been set up on JustGiving to raise £20,000 for the couple, who have two children, to rebuild the property
Mr Wells said: ‘It is a tragedy that this happened to them, they are the embodiment of what we are trying to do here.
‘We all hope they come back, we are already missing their capabilities, their resourcefulness and their thoughtfulness.’
The couple, their 14-year-old son Cosmo and daughter Elfie who had her 13th birthday yesterday, have been given a temporary home 40 miles away in St Davids, while they come to terms with losing their unique home.
Neighbours, who live in a log cabins, a yurt and touring caravans, are feeding they couple’s animals and raising funds to help them get back on their feet.
Jane Wells, who set up the JustGiving page said: ‘I have been moved to tears by people’s generosity, it has been overwhelming. Some people have sent £3 but it all counts and we are son grateful.
‘Simon and Jasmine haven’t been back to see what is left of their home and we want them to have the peace to come to terms with what has happened.
Before the blaze: The family started building the house with £500 in the bank and spent a mere £27,000 on its construction
The mezzanine level of the property in Pembrokeshire featured a small study with reclaimed wooden units
‘My personal hope is that they come back and start again but for now we are helping and supporting them with whatever they feel is right for their family. It is for them to rebuild their lives; not specifically to rebuild their home.’
The page says: ‘Simon, Jasmine and their two children have been residents at Lammas eco village, Pembrokeshire, since the start of the project. They have been working on their family home for the last six years.
‘This beautiful building was featured on Grand Designs last year. Sadly a fire started on New Year’s Day and their beloved home was burned to the ground. Luckily no-one was hurt but, as you can imagine, the family are devastated.’
A post on the Lammas Community Hub Facebook page said the blaze was ‘a suspected electrical fire’. ‘Their huge greenhouse escaped, as did Simon’s workshop, and their little roundhouse is still fine too,’ it continued.
‘Huge amount of work that went into the creation of the building, and the kids’ rooms, all destroyed. Thankfully no-one was hurt, which is a miracle.’
The couple’s home was built on the sustainable Lammas community in Pembrokeshire. Pictured: Their son’s bedroom
The couple managed to add to their funds throughout the project but still ended up spending only £27,000
The timber beams were all grown, felled, prepared and sawn as seen in the couple’s daughter’s bedroom (pictured)
Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud previously hailed the house as a shining example of sustainable living. He said: ‘This isn’t just an example of how we could and should live. This is a clarion call.’
In the programme, Mr Dale, who previously built a Hobbit-house, was seen in the show talking about his love of timber. He said: ‘I love being surrounded by natural materials. I love the character I can see in stone.
‘I love the wiggly bits of wood and what they evoke for me, and the fact that I can remember each one as a tree on the day I cut it down.’
The eco-village was created in 2009 to promote sustainable living after being given permission by the Welsh Government.
Dai Swan, group manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the straw material made it difficult to extinguish the fire-ravaged home.
He said: ‘It’s utterly heartbreaking for the crews seeing how much workmanship has gone into these frames. Each piece of this building is bespoke, it’s done to a beautifully high standard and to see it damaged by fire is just heartbreaking.’