An unwanted wedge shaped plot of land that had been rejected by architects and developers was bought by a couple for £250,000 and turned into a stunning family home.
The four storey house, which took six years to build after the site in Hackney, east London was bought in 2011, has its own yoga studio, two lush courtyard gardens and glittering front wall.
Oliver Lazarus and his wife Anu Kumar, both 48, who have a daughter Shala, 13, and son Obi, 12, now live in their 2,368 sq ft creation that cost £500,000 to build.
The three bedroom property has a large open plan kitchen and living room and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system which sucks in fresh air from outdoors.
The four storey house took six years to build after the site in Hackney, east London was bought in 2011. The plot of land was unwanted by architects and developers because of its size and shape
The first floor is where the family spends most of their time, in a large open-plan kitchen and living room. It leads out onto one of the two courtyard gardens
The large kitchen is fitted out in a retro style, with pale green kitchen cabinets and a parquet floor. There are two tables that accommodate their large families
Mr Lazarus, an architect, said it took them almost five years to get past red tape after they purchased the plot before they were able to start building work in 2016.
It then took another two years before their creation on the 12ft by 216ft plot was finally built, the Evening Standard reports.
Mr Lazurus, who paid £240,00 for the site, said: ‘One of the challenges was to build something where the spaces felt well-proportioned.
‘It felt like a lot of money to be handing over. I remember thinking, Oh my God, what have I done?’
The couple also wanted to ‘give something to the street’ so they made the bricks ‘shine’ with parts of the front of the property covered in mirror cladding. It makes the house glitter at night under street lights, and people often stop to take photographs.
A brightly lit hallway leads into the sizeable kitchen. The floor to ceiling glass doors maintain the sense of space felt throughout the property
The central staircase from the ground floor of the house. The property was built in two parts with the shell built first, which took a year and cost just over £300,000. By the start of last year they had a structure with a roof, windows, a staircase and walls
The ground floor is overlaid with an anodised aluminium grid which is anti slip safety flooring used in factories.
The property was built in two parts. The shell was built first, which took a year and cost just over £300,000. By the start of last year they had a structure with a roof, windows, a staircase and walls.
They then spent another £200,000, hiring builders to finish installing the flooring, plastering the walls, plumbing and fitting the three bathrooms and kitchen.
Just before Christmas Mr Lazurus and his family were able to move into the house.
In daylight the front of the house looks like a dark and textured tower thanks to the brickwork. It means at night the street lights make it glitter
The unusual design of the building makes it stand out from the rest of the street in Hackney, east London. Mr Lazurus says that at night time people often stop to take pictures as the building twinkles in street lights
The three bedroom property has a large open plan kitchen and living room and a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system which sucks in fresh air from outdoors. This is a view of one of the living spaces on the first floor
The house makes the most of its space, with built-in desks and shelves in the hallway. All its landings are large allowing them to be used as open-plan rooms. This space leads onto the other courtyard garden
The ground floor has a coat room, a store room for bikes and camping equipment, the yoga stuidio which could also be a fourth bedroom, and a courtyard garden.
The first floor contains the open plan kitchen and living room, a lushly planted garden terrace,
It has a central staircase, with large landings, and the hallway between the children’s bedrooms means it is big enough to act as a homework room, complete with desks, bookshelves, and a music room and piano.
Upstairs the master bedroom has an en suite with twin hand basins, and the hallway has a built in desk, making it an ideal office space.
The hallway between the children’s bedrooms means it is big enough to act as a homework room, complete with desks, bookshelves, and a music room and piano
The central staircase of the four storey house that has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Brick Awards
The ventilation and heat recovery systems sucks in fresh air from outdoors, which uses ambient heat and also keeps the house cool.
It has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Brick Awards, which ‘celebrate the best examples of clay brick in the built environment.’