The first day of construction of Sky House Sussex was an unbelievable thrill to watch. No wonder the ratings figures for Grand Designs are always so high when timber framed houses are featured. There is something endlessly fascinating about seeing part of your new house suspended high in the air dangling from a massive 40 […]
This phase of the project prompted an uncomfortable question: can ground works ever be green? At first glance, the answer would seem to be a resounding ‘no’. But in this case, will the end result justify the means? This is the 13 tonne baby that arrived in Lewes recently to start excavation. Standing like a great […]
After months of nervous anticipation of the green light from planning, it was now time to consign the old house to history. Having lined up our demolition team we were then beset by unforeseen delays (aren’t they always?). Firstly, it had taken longer than expected to get the gas pot-ended. Shockingly it took the equivalent […]
Finally, the time has come to clear the decks and discover the hidden jewels of this plot. All this time, the future view and potential of the site have been a mystery as the existing house in its current location dampened the experience. The plot is shaped like a slice of pie and the bungalow […]
Ever since the infamous Miley Cyrus made smashed-up plaster and wrecking balls look so sexy, we were just ITCHING to start demolishing the tired, energy-wasteful bungalow on the Sky House Sussex plot to make way for the next phase of excavation and ground-works. We wanted the demolition to be as green as possible – so […]
Ho ho ho! Have you been good this year? Bath tub, fridge freezer or new kitchen cupboards on your wish list? Santa got into the green spirit this year and gave away recycled goodies – check out these pics: The 60 year old bungalow and summer house were well worn properties but there were many […]
Tantalisingly, the view from the Sky House Sussex plot has started to reveal itself. As the bungalow is picked apart by the demolition team, a glorious view of Lewes and the Sussex Downs peeks through the ribs of the roof. We’ve waited nearly three years to expose the view. This is a special spot on […]
It was hard to resist the urge to rename our project ‘Breaking Bad in Lewes’ when we discovered lots of hypodermic needles and other dubious paraphernalia on the demolition site. Our suspicions were confirmed one evening when, under the cover of darkness, we spotted flickering lights inside the semi-wrecked bungalow which turned out to be a bunch […]
By Sophie Isachsen, Business Manager at Sky House Sussex, working with owner Amy Burgess: As a dyed in the wool lover of old, characterful (leaky, creaky) brick-built Victorian and Edwardian houses, I was sceptical when my Scandinavian husband suggested we build a brand new timber framed eco house. It took a huge leap of faith […]