A couple with a passion for nature spent £800,000 creating a curving, snake-like home that nestles in the rolling hills of the English countryside.
Stephen and Elizabeth Tetlow dreamed of building a home that resembled a fossil shell, and that reflected their respective passions – his work as an engineer and Elizabeth’s as a horticulturist.
Having planned to spend 12 months and £600,000 on their ambitious project, the couple ultimately went £200,000 over-budget, and came in a whole year behind schedule.
Most of the work was their own design, as Stephen drew up the plans himself with the help of a single architect, and the couple spent nine months attaching the distinctive roof panels to the building themselves – all by hand.
The end result is a striking, curved building – which Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud likened to a snake – with breathtaking views over the Blackdown Hills where Somerset borders Devon.
Striking: Stephen and Elizabeth Tetlow spent £800,000 building a snake like home in the Blackdown Hills on the Somerset-Devon border
Room with a view: The master bedroom looked out onto the Blackdown Hills, and the couple say they enjoy bird-watching with binoculars from their bed
Modern: The interior of the home followed the same curved pattern of the exterior, with the rooms curving around as they walked through them
The couple’s new home features in this week’s episode of Grand Designs on Channel 4.
Stephen, who is the chief executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said the idea for the unique home came to him when he saw a spiral ammonite shell on a desk.
He explained: ‘We were having a discussion with an architect and on our kitchen table was an ammonite, a fossil. and the idea just grew from that discussion, it evolved from that.
‘The general shape of the house is part of an ammonite sitting into the hill. This is not a place for a straight line piece of angular architecture.’
Themed: The bespoke staircase took over a month to complete, and followed the curved theme with its shapely bannister
Staying natural: Horticulturist Elizabeth had a greenhouse on the side of the home, which overlooked the hills
Letting light in: Panels were added to the side of the home to allow some natural light into the building
The couple already owned the plot as their existing house was there, but sold their London flat to help pay for the new home.
Because of the curved design of their new home the building work was very intricate, and the structure took far longer to erect than a regular, rectangular build.
The Tetlows ordered 33 solar panels from Wales, all of which were cut in bespoke shapes to create the detailed pattern on the roof.
Bespoke: Elizabeth used clay to create works of art from the plants and flowers that grew on the hills, hanging the finished products around the property
Cosy: The guest bedrooms had simple, comfortable furnishing and let the natural light into the room
An office with a difference: The couple’s shared work space had a lot of natural light and looked out over the hills
To speed the process up the couple enlisted their son-in-law to help attach 4,600 roof panels, which they completed over a nine-month period between January and September.
Each panel had to be cut to an individual size to fit a pattern they’d painstakingly hand drawn on the roof.
The roof is curved, and demanded 38 pieces of bespoke glued laminated timber, which allowed it to be bent into the required shape.
Welcoming: A second guest bedroom was spacious and had a door that gave a picturesque view of the hills outside
Relaxing: The couple added a TV room that was attached to the side of the house, which didn’t follow the curved style
Unique: The couple attached 4,600 roof panels of different sizes by hand over the course of nine months with only the help of their son-in-law
The couple continued the non-linear theme inside the property, ordering a bespoke curved staircase that would fit with the structure of the home.
Horticulturist Elizabeth used clay to create imprints of plants she’d picked from the surrounding hills to decorate the walls of the home.
Host Kevin McCloud was taken aback by the building’s unique look, and told the couple: ‘I’m finding it hard to do my job here because normally I’m standing in buildings enthusing about them and waxing and being energetic about them.
Finally finished: The couple were delighted with the end result and Stephen revealed that they had a home they created themselves
‘What this building is doing to me is kind of giving me a gentle shoulder rub, you know? I’m kind of being lulled by it almost. It’s absolutely great.’
Despite the project taking a year longer and £200,000 more than it expected, the couple are thrilled with their new home.
Stephen said: ‘I think the big difference is that somebody else bought that big beautiful house that we used to live in.
‘We’re one of many generations who lived in it, we were the guardians for the next generation who will live in it but this is our house, we did this and I think that’s quite a big difference.’
Grand Designs airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.