Woodland House, Uplyme, Devon

Woodland House is nestled in a exceptionally romantic position, surrounded by Forestry Commission woodland and with far-reaching valley views across part of East Devon’s National Landscape. Devised by award-winning practice AR Design Studio, the four-bedroom house was completed in 2022 and was built with energy efficiency and low-running costs in mind. Large expanses of glazing overlook the garden, which has been naturalistically landscaped with undulating wildflower meadows. The house lies on the Devon/Dorset border, between Uplyme and Axminster, and a short drive from the Jurassic Coast and its characterful towns and villages.



The Building



AR Design Studio’s work on Woodland House has received many accolades, including Build It Magazine’s ‘Best Timber-Framed House’, and a nod from the Future House Awards, as well as an honourable mention at the prestigious Architecture Master Prize Awards in the Category of Residential Architecture.



With a striking silhouette, Woodland House is formed of three distinct, diagonal-larch clad 'volumes’: the first is filled with an open-plan living and dining room, the second with a light-filled sitting area, and the third provides additional accommodation that can be separated off when not needed. This innovative design helps to limit energy consumption and heat loss.



Environmental Performance



The current owners were keen to create a warm, air-tight and energy-efficient house. The angled roofs are lined with photovoltaic panels which, in tandem with an air source heat pump, creates a zero-combustible household. After a year the owners measured the home’s real-time energy consumption, achieving 60% self-sufficiency in that period, as well as an EPC rating of 'A'.



The Tour



Set far back from the road, the house sits at the end of a lane which meanders through the woodland, far away from any road noise. There is plenty of space to park several cars on the spacious driveway, as well as a separate timber-clad garage with a high-power EV charging point and Tesla Powerwall solar battery storage. The house’s front door is at the bottom of a sweeping path providing convenient accessibility, and is next to a window that hints at the green views from within.



The door opens straight into an airy kitchen with porcelain tiles lining the floor. Beautiful views are captured through a large, almost full-height sliding door at one end and from a large picture window opposite, cut-out above Corian countertops. Beech ply cabinets are built around the picture window, a clever storage-maximising intervention. A large central island delineates the kitchen from the dining space beyond and doubles as a breakfast bar. The kitchen is complete with fitted appliances, such as an induction hob by BORA, and a Fisher and Paykel fridge. At one end is a utility room with additional cupboard space and a door to the outside, which can double as a boot room.



A sliding pocket door on one side of the kitchen opens into a bright 'snug' sitting room, with soaring ceilings and a bank of built-in beech ply bookshelves. The room sustains a strong connection with the outdoors through another large sliding door, which opens straight onto a terrace.



On the other side of the house is a hallway that leads to three peaceful bedrooms of even size. At the end of the corridor is a second sitting/music room; care of its tucked-away position, music can be played loudly without disturbing the rest of the house. A shared family bathroom is also accessed from the hallway and is lined with large format porcelain tiles.



A sculptural metal staircase leads upstairs to the top floor, where a well-designed study overlooks the drive below. The principal bedroom is also on this floor and has an incredible treehouse-like feel with its wide window and elevated position.



Outdoor Space



Grounds of around 1.4 acres surround the house, carefully landscaped with the building's context in mind. The planting scheme was designed to be naturalistic, opting for blankets of wildflowers that create an abundant but low-maintenance backdrop to the house.



The generous terrace that abuts the house has been perfectly orientated towards the tree-filled view. Beyond are swathes of lawn and clusters of tall mature trees, including beech, oak and scots pine.



The Area



The house lies idyllically close to The Jurassic Coast, a hugely diverse and beautiful landscape underpinned by incredible geology of global importance. In 2001 it was designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site for the outstanding value of its rocks, fossils and landforms. It remains England’s only natural World Heritage Site. The Jurassic Coast begins at Orcombe Point in Exmouth, Devon, and continues for 95 miles to Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage, Dorset.



The area is renowned for local food producers and independently-run cafés and restaurants. The inimitable River Cottage is a 15-minute walk away, while The Seaside Boarding House is a 25-minute along the coast and is known for its incredible sea views. Trill Farm Garden is a community of local organic market gardeners delivering a weekly box of fresh vegetables and In My Back Yard provides food from various nearby producers.



Lyme Regis can be reached in around 10 minutes by car and has a great selection of independent shops, including Lyme Book Shop, a stellar fishmonger near the harbour, Papa Luca Vintage and Ryder and Hope. There is also a museum and a theatre for music, theatre, comedy and National Theatre Live screenings; it is also host to the Lyme Regis Film Society. Tom’s Lyme Regis is a restaurant on the seafront specialising in local produce and is great for a morning coffee with a sea view. Lilac’s wine bar and restaurant offers excellent food, and for pizza, there is Poco’s, which has an upstairs terrace overlooking the beach.



The handsome market town of Bridport is around 15 minutes’ drive away. The town has gained a reputation as the gateway to the Jurassic Coast, with West Bay beach within walking distance of Bridport’s bustling centre. Here, dramatic golden cliffs rise above the fine shingle strand and views along Chesil beach and Portland island are quite spectacular.



There is much to do in Bridport; in addition to plenty of locally stocked grocers, cafés (including Soulshine), pubs and a post office, the town is thriving with independent antique sellers and specialist bookshops, as well as an impressive family-run art deco cinema. Many of these amenities are located on South Street, which is transformed twice weekly for the historic Bridport market. The Bridport Art Centre is on the doorstep, presenting a year-round programme of visual arts, theatre, dance, comedy, music, spoken word and films and screenings. A Waitrose is a convenient in-town amenity.



There are some excellent schools in the area, including Woodroffe School and Colyton Grammar School, one of the country’s top state schools.



Axminster station is three-and-half miles away and runs a direct service to London Waterloo in just over two-and-a-half hours.



Council Tax Band: F