An expat couple put their livelihood on the line when they decided to build an ambitious house on a plot of land they bought on the internet.
After spending four years in New Zealand, former RAF pilot Jon and local GP Gill Flewers, wanted to put down roots back in the UK but instead of scouting in person for locations they dropped a whopping £145,000 on a site they’d never even seen.
The couple then ploughed the remaining £420,000 of their life savings into building a three-storey ‘upside-down’ structure anchored in the side of the Malvern Hills, in Worcestershire.
Jon, who appears on tonight’s episode of Grand Designs, was forced to take the drastic step of giving up his career to take on the task of project manager when several contractors refused to work on the daring design.
His lack of building experience caused Jon to make a costly error when he failed to spend £24 on checking a map to see if the site had access to the utility mains – which it didn’t – resulting in a enormous £40,000 bill to excavate 65 metres worth of road.
The total cost for the striking five-bedroom abode, with an enormous living space on the top floor and a terrace garden tucked into the trees, amounted to £600,000.
The three-storey house, named Endeavour, is anchored by the surrounding Malvern Hills in Worcestershire
The views of the landscape are visible from the open-plan kitchen which is located on the top floor
The couple decided to add a terrace which is tucked in to the hillside which the couple say makes it feel like a treehouse
The cosy living area looks out onto a garden located at the back of the house, an area made possible after builders excavated part of the hillside to make space
The couple bought the plot of land without seeing it in person first, it proved difficult finding contractors willing to build on the plot of the land
Along with the stress of the build and Jon placed an enormous amount of pressure on himself to complete their home within a short space of 18 months.
Jon and Gill Flewers returned back to the UK after spending four years living in New Zealand with their three sons
The couple, along with their three young sons, were ready to move in in time for Christmas 2016 – but were forced to delay for three weeks until the property was properly connected to the mains.
It comes as a shock for Jon who had to borrow the funds from their family after going over their budget.
‘I will be paying that off for the rest of my life and then some. I am aware the failing isn’t down to someone else it is all on me,’ he says.
‘I never anticipated it being this hard. People have said to me “Jon don’t be down it’s only a house”.
‘To me it’s all the other things, the money, the career that has been put on hold for so many years, the move from the other side of the world all those things that we gave up. I so hope the house is worth it.’
Jon and Gill have to make up for the costly error, especially after adding a further £15,000 to the bill for a curved wall that the architect recommends, and choose to do all the interior decor themselves.
They face more negativity when they clash with presenter Kevin McCloud over the architect’s decision not to take advantage of the sprawling views.
He takes the couple to task for agreeing to the placement of a large section of windows to face in towards the hill and not looking out at the landscape.
Brave builders balanced precariously on hillside as they excavated the site. The piece of land made it very difficult to build on
Presenter Kevin McCloud has problems with parts of the layout and design of the property but the couple remain firm
The spiralling staircase takes guests right to the top of the property while taking in the surrounding views thanks to the slats in the wood
Kevin complains of the ‘strange decision’ and questions architect Nick Caroll who explains it is so the building is angled towards the sun to take advantage of the solar gain and create a cosy atmosphere.
The hillside property looks different from every angle
‘I can absolutely see where Nick is coming from and I champion energy efficient buildings. But these guys moved here from New Zealand for the views,’ Kevin adds.
‘The old English word for window is “eagbyrl”. Which literally means an eye hole, out of something you can see. And here look what you can see across these great plains, it is exciting, it is epic but it is a view that the eye holes on this building don’t exactly grab.’
It took the couple a slow two years until their project is completed.
With pieces of the 600 million-year-old granite sewn into the exterior walls, an extravagant £5,000 staircase that takes the visitor spiralling up and a terrace that fits snugly inside the hill surrounded by trees the unique house is something to behold.
And despite the hard work and £600,000 pound total, Jon who gave up his career as a pilot to rely on his wife’s income so they could achieve their dream home, is not satisfied.
Jon tiredly admits to Kevin that he regretted the choice of elevated plot and says if he did it all over again he would choose something flat.
He reflects on the journey: ‘It’s been a really hard journey, mentally, emotionally and physically.
‘It’s still fresh, it’s beautiful I have no doubt about that. But I’m not sure it’s worth the sacrifices that we have made up to this point…’
Grand Designs airs tonight (Wednesday) on Channel 4 at 9pm