Next GENERATION

Wanting to downsize is a classic trigger for starting a self-build, as is finding yourself with more free time after a busy career and bringing up four children — exactly the position Adrian and Sandra Girling, from a pretty village in north Essex, were in. What is unusual, however, is that their eldest son Matthew was happy to put his architecture degree on hold for a year to design their home. “We never thought about using anyone else — it was brilliant to have him on board,” says Sandra.

Ten years earlier, the couple had bought a double plot in the same village. On plot one they