They overcame all obstacles and built the house of their dreams

Someone was telling me after the article about the "bojdeuca" in England, that they expect me to write about other houses in other countries. That was my plan, only in the meantime I came across a very nice house and a story to match, which made me want to stay in the UK. The house is located in Wales and its owners are Rob and Alithea Dowson. A couple with extraordinary tenacity who have built the house of their dreams overcoming all obstacles.

Rob and Alithea have always wanted to live in the country, but lack of funds has been an obstacle. They were staying in Bristol when they discovered a site of about 14 acres in the hills of Powys, central Wales, a place with no utilities, no prospect of being able to build, but a great view.

They camped the site and in the first 3 years they cleared it and planted over 35,000 trees, mainly hazel. It was an investment from which they would later make a profit. After 3 years they moved into a mobile home on the land and spent the next 5 years waiting for approval to build. Eventually they got it, with building restrictions on local agriculture but without, tied to the footprint of the house.

After spending so much time next to a forest and living off wood, they realized that what they wanted was a wooden house and chose oak. They didn't know much about wood construction, so Rob decided to take a week-long course taught by a leading figure in the field, where he learned about the principles of wood construction and how to use old woodworking tools.

With this basic knowledge, Alithea and Rob figured they also needed a plan. They started studying trade magazines and visiting trade fairs to find inspiration. They came to the conclusion that they wanted to make a house with a storey, lots of open space and a vaulted look upstairs. With the drawing done and the image of the house in mind they hired a local architect to help them draw up the necessary plans.

The moment they had the sketches they started working. It took 3 months to do all the curved beams. After assembly, the beams were also clad in softwood, creating a structure to insulate the house. Because another idea they started with from the beginning was to build an energy efficient house.

The budget for building the house was £100,000. The actual construction took 2 years and at the end they realised they had also saved money. The house cost £98,500.

All in all, from the time they bought the land to the time they moved into the house was 12 years, during which time Rob and Alithea broke down every barrier, overcame every obstacle, proved that "can't" doesn't exist. An extraordinary example of willpower, hard work, dedication. And a wonderful home in the end.

(source: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/)