This was a demanding but stimulating challenge. The brief was to create a family home of around 230m2 with four bedrooms, a guest suite and an open plan family space.

The rear of the plot faces north and slopes down to the garden with views beyond. Lots of light and solar gain was a prerequisite, as was a natural flow to the living space. The couple asked for a front kitchen for security purposes but the rear views can still be enjoyed from the family area.

The master bedroom also has views and a private balcony. Since the ground drops away at the rear, I have included a large verandah accessed from the lounge and family area, which will provide a natural extension to the house and enhance the overall feeling of space. I have also located the staircase such that a second stair can easily be added to utilise the large attic space as a second phase of the build.

Graham and Georgie say: This was the best design in terms of layout - we really liked the flow between all the rooms and particularly the layout of the bedrooms. The lounge's vaulted ceiling is fantastic and we could hopefully afford to build it with an oak frame. We also love the window seat on the upstairs landing.

Externally, we like the appearance and traditional character of the house, but aren't so struck on the style of the windows, which are too cottagey. We like the idea of having a balcony, but probably not as large as this one, and because of its position, it would only be in sunshine early in the morning and would be dark for the rest of the day.

This design was closest to our brief and was also bang on budget and size. However, no garage was included, which is a shame. We would probably make some changes to the actual design, but overall it was our favourite.