- "Our favourite space would be our master bedroom and dressing room.''
- “We were able to build the timber frame in the workshop right beside where we were building that allowed us to keep things moving.”
- “We made the bathrooms really high spec and luxurious, especially our girls' ensuite.”
Annie & Paul Heading built their County Derry home in 2021 on Annie’s family land. The upper floor is clad in black timber and the frame was built in Annie’s family workshop on site.
It was important to the couple that the building was eco-friendly and it has solar panels and an air source heat pump and Annie says that on sunny days they are able to charge their electric car from solar energy generated on the home.
Annie and Paul love their home and describe the interior style as a mix of clean lines, neutral materials and pops of colour.
We knew that we wanted to build our own house for a while, we wanted to build something modern and we also liked the idea of black timber cladding but we weren’t too sure what way to incorporate it, working with the Architect we decided to go from the first floor level all the way up to the roof, enthused Annie & Paul Heading
“It was based on the idea of a barn, we live in the countryside and there was a Dutch barn on the site beside us so we thought that our house would tie in nicely with that.
I come from a building background and my Father helped us to project manage. We built the house during the pandemic lockdown, we had the windows ordered and sitting waiting ready to go well in advance! We were able to build the timber frame in the workshop right beside where we were building that allowed us to keep things moving.
“We had different teams coming in to work on various elements of the house as lots of people couldn’t work in the house at the same time. When everything was locked down, we were only in the planning stages of the build so we were actually very lucky,’’ added The Headings.
“We have been living in the house for almost two years and we’re still getting things together such as painting and decorating. It is a slow work in progress but it is enjoyable too! As we live in the house we are getting to know what rooms are a wee bit darker, what works in each room and so forth.
“We are so lucky to live where we do because we have my parents living next door which is lovely and there is lots of space for our girls to run around outside.’’
With such spectacular views and a vast amount of space, where would their favourite spot be?
“Our favourite space would be our master bedroom and dressing room; the feeling of space up there is amazing and it is also such a relaxing space. One of the girls’ bedrooms would also be a favourite spot as it is such a bright and sunny room and you have a really good view of the sheep!
“We wanted to create a feeling of visiting a really nice hotel with fancy bathrooms in our home so we would say that we went over budget on the bathrooms trying to create that. We made the bathrooms really high spec and luxurious, especially our girls’ ensuite,’’ they continued.
As to whether or not they would change anything when it comes to their home?
“It would be handy if the playroom was directly off the kitchen so you could keep an eye on the kids when we’re cooking rather than having to go down the corridor to them, we can always hear the girls anyway!
We are delighted with the solar panels and the storage battery so we’re over the moon about that. We love how the house looks and we’re really pleased with how everything came together. The house works great for us, all of the rooms are a good size and we’re really happy in the house,’’
concluded Paul & Annie Heading.
