Tisbury, Wiltshire · Self-build

Paddock House

Tim and Melissa are building a three-storey, all-electric timber-frame home. This is where we share how it's going.

Now: the timber frame is going up
0.0 +2.9 +5.6 Indicative elevation, not to scale
  1. Planning
  2. Foundations
  3. Frame
  4. Roof & cladding
  5. Inside
  6. Move in

The house

Fabric first, then the clever bits

The idea is simple: build a very well insulated, very airtight shell so the house needs little energy, then run it all on electricity, most of it made on the roof.

353 m²across three storeys
A · 94predicted SAP energy rating
1.5airtightness target, m³/(h·m²) at 50 Pa
5.6 kWpsolar, 12 panels, plus a 9 kWh battery
0gas or oil: all-electric

Chicksgrove stone

Local limestone from the quarry just down the valley, on the ground floor walls.

Zinc roof

Standing-seam zinc that weathers to a soft grey and lasts for generations.

Poplar fins

Vertical timber fins on three sides, giving texture and some shade.

Timber frame

Insulated wall and roof panels made off-site by Oakwrights, with the windows already fitted, then craned into place.

Heat pump

An air source heat pump feeds underfloor heating downstairs and low-temperature radiators upstairs.

Fresh air

Heat-recovery ventilation brings in filtered fresh air and keeps most of the warmth from the stale air going out.

Annexe

A separate wing with its own tall hall and mezzanine, for guests, family gatherings and table tennis.

Timeline

From garden to home

Dates ahead are targets and will move. Self-builds always do.

  1. Planning permission

    Permission granted for a new home on the paddock behind Yattendon, off Vicarage Road.

    The paddock before work began

  2. A way in

    Access agreements signed so the house can be reached from Paradise Meadow.

  3. Design refined

    Revised plans approved, adding five rooflights and settling the final materials and windows.

  4. Engineering

    Structural design for a tricky site: shrinkable clay and thirsty poplar trees meant deep foundations.

  5. On site

    Diggers arrived on 7 July. A hot, dry summer meant working fast to stop the clay drying out.

    Digging the deep foundation trenches

  6. Foundations

    Reinforced concrete pads at least 1.75 m deep, linked by ground beams, with heave protection and a ventilated block-and-beam floor on top.

    Block-and-beam ground floor complete

  7. Ready for the frame

    Groundworks finished and scaffolding up.

    Scaffold up and ready for the frame

  8. The frame goes up Now

    The crane lifts the timber panels into place over four to five weeks. Upstairs windows come fitted in the panels.

    The frame nearly complete, November 2026

  9. Stone and services Next

    Stonework begins, downstairs windows go in, and drains and power are connected under Paradise Meadow.

  10. Weathertight

    Zinc roof and rooflights, then stone and poplar cladding.

  11. Inside

    Wiring and plumbing, airtightness sealing and testing, plastering, then heat pump, ventilation and solar.

  12. Move in

    Kitchen, bathrooms and finishing touches. Target: around May.

Photos

Progress on site

A selection from site. Tap any photo to see it larger. Our full album lives on Google Photos.

A blue timber gable panel hanging from a crane above the house, with Tisbury and wooded hills behind

Before

The paddock before work began, with Tisbury church tower behind
The paddock before work began, with Tisbury church tower behind

Groundworks · summer to October 2026

Site levelled, with the clay already cracking in the heat
Site levelled, with the clay already cracking in the heat
Digging the deep foundation trenches
Digging the deep foundation trenches
Blockwork walls up and the floor beams arriving
Blockwork walls up and the floor beams arriving
Block-and-beam ground floor complete
Block-and-beam ground floor complete
Scaffold up and ready for the frame
Scaffold up and ready for the frame

The frame · from 19 October 2026

The crane arrives on Paradise Meadow
The crane arrives on Paradise Meadow
Wall panels lifted straight off the lorry
Wall panels lifted straight off the lorry
The first ground-floor panels go up
The first ground-floor panels go up
Inside the ground floor, under the open-web joists
Inside the ground floor, under the open-web joists
First-floor joists in place
First-floor joists in place
First-floor rooms taking shape
First-floor rooms taking shape
Insulated panels, with steel brackets ready for the roof
Insulated panels, with steel brackets ready for the roof
A gable panel flying in over Tisbury
A gable panel flying in over Tisbury
Gable end with its windows framed
Gable end with its windows framed
Weather membrane taped at every seam
Weather membrane taped at every seam
Loft panels craned in, with the valley behind
Loft panels craned in, with the valley behind
Roof panels on and battened
Roof panels on and battened
The frame nearly complete, November 2026
The frame nearly complete, November 2026

See the full album ↗

Come and stay

Visits open once we've moved in

When the house is finished you'll be able to see when we're free and ask to come and visit or stay in the annexe.

  1. See which dates are free
  2. Tell us who's coming and for how long
  3. We'll reply to confirm

May 2027 Preview
FreeBusyYour dates
Coming soon