Absolutely prefab
Above: Huf house
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Above: Fiona and Andrew Jenvey
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You get the sensation that you are almost part of the landscape when you sit in Fiona and Andrew Jenvey’s dining room.
The wall-to-ceiling glass gives uninterrupted views of the neighbouring woodland and the situation of their home – on a sloping site – means your views are elevated.
There is so much light everywhere in their house that it is a beautiful experience just to visit. Living there is even better, they tell me as we discuss their decision to move to a new Huf Haus just outside Southampton.
Fiona founded Hampshire-based Mudpie Design and she and Andrew are both designers, so their living environment is obviously of the utmost importance to them. Even so, with a young family, practicalities are paramount.
Says Fiona: “We were living in a six-bedroom house in Valley Park, primarily because it was convenient and ticked a lot of boxes.
“We were half-heartedly looking for something nearer the sea because we like sailing but everywhere we looked it would have been a compromise in terms of travel and we found that many houses needed lots of work.”
Added Andrew: “The last house we bought was new. We said we didn’t want new again because we wanted
character, but this house has both character and space.”
They saw the house – one of four on a delightful site up a leafy lane in Chilworth – and immediately put their home on the market.
“Our bank manager, Evan Baker of Handlesbanken, was so enthusiastic about the house that he was happy to give us a mortgage and asked to see it himself!” Fiona recalls.
In a Huf
Most people discovered the Huf Haus only four years ago, when one was featured on TV’s Grand Designs. In fact it was in 1972 that Georg Huf, with architect Manfred Adams, first hit upon the iconoclastic idea of adapting the ancient style of post-and-beam structure, with a heavy influence of Bauhaus aesthetic, to make bespoke wood and glass homes. They are produced in a factory to the client’s individual specifications and then assembled on site.
The timber frame concept means that the designer is not constrained by load-bearing walls dividing the living space, while wall-to-ceiling glazing gives them unrivalled light and makes the surrounding landscape part of the living experience.
These distinctive black and white homes first made their appearance in the UK in 1997.
“Because we run a design business, the style of the house appeals to us,” says Fiona. “Plus, our business extends over 50 countries and we travel a lot, so we need to be near an airport, trains and motorways.
“From the family point of view, our children can have the kind of life that I had as a child. They can go off into the woods when they are older and entertain themselves and have a more or less traditional childhood.”
Adds Andrew: “Little things like the private drive here mean that they can go out on their bikes.”
The house itself is in a superb location. Says Andrew: “There is Forestry Commission land at the back, then farmland and green belt all the way to Chandlers Ford.”
Room to grow
The couple, with seven-year-old Chloe and three-year-old Lily, moved in at
the beginning of the year. Already their new home has been a huge hit with
the youngsters.
Both the girls’ bedrooms and the guest room (which has its own bathroom) have floor-to-ceiling glazing and access onto the terrace. Under the open-tread staircase is an ideal play area and plenty of room to store their toys.
This ‘basement’ area – which in fact is only below ground on one side of the sloping site – also houses the children’s bathroom, another room which the Jenveys are planning to develop as a home gym (although it would also be ideal as a home cinema or teenagers’ sitting room).
Then there’s the plant room, with a laundry area, the heating system, the house’s security system, and linen storage.
The ground floor is a dramatic area with the kitchen, dining area and sitting room all flowing into each other and access to the balcony which runs around the dining and sitting room spaces. There is a shower room and a study, which could be used as a bedroom.
On the top floor is the gallery, which the Jenveys plan to use as a library and they also have the children’s piano and some seating up there.
The main spare bedroom has its own balcony and a bathroom next door and the Jenveys’ bedroom at the back of the house also has a huge balcony area. Their room leads to what can only be described as a massive bathroom – with access to the balcony – and a dressing room.
“It all seems very decadent!” says Andrew.
And if you thought that all that window space might seem stark, in fact the Jenveys say it gives a real illusion of cosiness when they see the lights inside the house reflected on the glass. And they won’t get too much sun, either, because there are external electronic metallic blinds on many of the windows.
Prefab clout
The house is eco-friendly and thermally-efficient, there is under-floor heating and ‘intelligent’ wiring throughout.
In fact it’s a little piece of paradise for the family, who feel that they will stay here for a very long time.
“This house can be adapted to whatever you want,” says Fiona. “It is ideal for a young family like ours but it is also very adaptable as children grow.
“It is very restful for us; we often look out and see deer drinking from the pond on the land next to us. I suffered terribly from insomnia but I have seen a big improvement since moving in.”
Andrew adds: “You feel you instantly unwind when you come here. And all
this is only five minutes from the
M3 and just 10 minutes from
Parkway Station!”
Developer Ian Rymill has sited just four homes on this beautiful 1.8 acre site and they have justifiably attracted a lot of attention. At the time of going to press, only one was still available.