Arty couple build enormous treehouse suspended 40ft in the sky for just £300,000 on Grand Designs - but the project took almost a DECADE after they ran out of money

By JESSICA TAYLOR FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

A couple who wanted to build their dream home managed to create an enormous treehouse suspended on stilts for just £300,000 - but their commitment to keeping costs low meant they spend nearly a decade on the project.

In 2013 John Martin and Noreen Jaafar set out to build their ambitious and innovative home on a patch of land in the Cotswolds they had purchased for £85,000 - but didn't even know at the time if they'd be able to build on it.

The couple, who appeared in Wednesday night's episode of Grand Designs in a revisit, hit a few bumps in the road during their big build - and when they first appeared on the architectural programme in 2016, they hadn't quite finished the project.

However, when presenter Kevin McCloud went back to see the couple in Dursley, Gloucestershire, this summer, the couple were living happily in their open-plan, four bedroom home which sits 40ft in the air in a patch of forgotten woodland.

Speaking to Kevin at the end of the episode, the couple revealed that, save the cost of purchasing the land in the first place, they had spent just over £300,000 building their dream home. 

John, a painter, and Noreen, a ceramic artist, first bought the patch of land in 2013, which sits between a Methodist church and a supermarket car park. The land caught John's attention as a child and he would often peek at it through the fence when he was growing up in the area.

'It could have ended up being a very expensive garden,' he joked back in 2016. 

The pair told presenter Kevin McCloud they were initially told there was 'no way' they would be able to build a house on the conservation area, as it was already home to more than 30 protected trees including an ash, lime and a Scots Pine. 

But inspired by a magnificent treehouse home they visited that blends into its environment in Belgium, the couple applied to their local council for planning permission with a design created by Gloucester architects Miller Howard Workshop.

A couple who appeared on Grand Designs with the dream of building an enormous treehouse have completed their project after almost a decade

A couple who appeared on Grand Designs with the dream of building an enormous treehouse have completed their project after almost a decade 

John and Noreen, from Dursley in Gloucestershire, told Kevin McCloud their big build had been a 'good risk'

John and Noreen, from Dursley in Gloucestershire, told Kevin McCloud their big build had been a 'good risk'

The couple had fully furnished their home by July 2023, after initially kitting it out with just the basics

The couple had fully furnished their home by July 2023, after initially kitting it out with just the basics

The couple kitted out their home with several reclaimed and recycled items - including their kitchen floor tiles which had been obtained from a Rolls Royce garage

The couple kitted out their home with several reclaimed and recycled items - including their kitchen floor tiles which had been obtained from a Rolls Royce garage

It was agreed they could make their vision a reality as long as many conditions were met - including not disturbing any of the trees or their deep roots.

The architects achieved this by designing a house anchored with thin screw piles, built without concrete with a steel frame.

The bottom floor houses the art studio of Noreen, a ceramic artist, and is clad with steel to reflect the woodland and make the house appear as it is it floating in the sky.

Meanwhile the living area 40ft above on the top half of the property is clad in larch so it blends in with the trees which surround it.

These floors can be accessed by a ramp that Kevin said was 'like the ramp to ET's spaceship'. A walkway like that seen in the I'm A Celebrity jungle studio is then crossed to reach the property, so Kevin said until you cross the ramp, you have little idea the house is even there.

There's an open plan kitchen, dining room and living area all surrounded by a wooden veranda and panoramic windows to give multiple opportunities to take in the surrounding views.

On the top floor there's a master bedroom and four ensuite bathrooms - the interior of which still have to be finished - surrounded by the treetops.

The couple's enormous treehouse home has a huge balcony which looks out onto the woodland surrounding it

The couple's enormous treehouse home has a huge balcony which looks out onto the woodland surrounding it

The house, which is open plan in its living area, contains four bedrooms

The house, which is open plan in its living area, contains four bedrooms 

John and Noreen's master bedroom, which has a balcony that looks out onto the woodland below

John and Noreen's master bedroom, which has a balcony that looks out onto the woodland below

Outside the stunning treehouse is an annexe, which the couple now lets out for short-term rentals

Outside the stunning treehouse is an annexe, which the couple now lets out for short-term rentals 

The home, which contains Noreen's ceramics studio at the bottom, sits approximately 40ft in the air

The home, which contains Noreen's ceramics studio at the bottom, sits approximately 40ft in the air

However, by the end of John and Noreen's first episode, the couple had 'barely moved in', according to Kevin. While the structure was watertight and partially furnished, the pair still had more work to do.

Kevin said: 'The big open plan space for every day living seemed quite sparse.'

The couple, who had scrimped and saved as best they could to stay within budget, used reclaimed and recycled materials all over the building - including the kitchen worktops.

However, although the home itself was largely complete, a steel ground floor which was designated as Noreen's workshop still needed a lot of work.

At the end of Kevin's 2016 visit, the couple revealed that they had gone over their original building budget by a few thousand pounds, spending around £270,000 after budgeting for £268,000 at the beginning of their project.

With several rooms, including the workshop, still to build, the couple halted building after running out of money.

However, seven years on, they have completed the project, spending just over £300,000 in total - and they don't even have a mortgage. 

Showing Kevin around their completed house, the couple pointed out some of the reclaimed materials they had used to kit out the interior.

One such example is the grey slate floor tiles in the kitchen, which the couple revealed had been obtained from a Rolls Royce garage. Kevin joked they had obtained the material for a 'reliant robin price'.

Speaking about their long project, John said the couple had taken 'a good risk' which had been 'worth it' in the end.

Most watched News videos

Comments 0

Share what you think

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.