Made to measure

“It’s something I’d always wanted to do. I’m not sure why, but as soon as I was in a position to make it happen I started looking for some land,” he says.

His search was confined to a very small area. He wanted to stay in his native Rawdon, close to friends and family, and building plots in the popular Leeds suburb are rare and expensive.

“I was lucky. I found a small advert in the Yorkshire Post for a garden plot. I knew exactly where it was because it’s on the edge of Larkfield dam, where my dad used to take me to when I was a child.

“It’s a brilliant spot that feels really rural and not many people realise it’s there because it’s well hidden and it’s privately owned by a model boat club. I bought the land and I built my house,” says Keith.

Permission to build was no problem as the plot already had outline planning for a house, but getting exactly what he wanted proved more difficult for Keith.

“I wanted something really modern, but the planners said it had to be in stone and in keeping with the house next door, so I had to compromise on the exterior a bit.”

As an exhibition designer, who previously worked in the building trade, he didn’t use an architect, preferring to design and draw the plans himself.

He found a local builder to take the job on and project managed it himself while working full-time.

“I was here every day that I wasn’t working away. I know it’s unusual, but everything went smoothly and it came in slightly under budget too. I think that’s because I was used to planning everything in detail for clients and that’s what I did with the house. I was very methodical

“It took 18 months from buying the land to moving in.”

The shell is L-shaped with two integral garages and the construction is block and a well-insulated cavity, which is clad in stone.

The large, four-bedroom, two-bathroom property looks almost traditional, which makes the ultra-modern interior even more of a surprise.

The front door opens into a large double-height hallway with a curved steel staircase and wall, while a doorway gives glimpses of the stunning stainless steel and maple kitchen.

It’s a semi-open plan arrangement on the ground floor with separate utility room and cloak room. The kitchen, dining area and enormous sitting room are divided with a combination of the retaining staircase wall, kitchen wall and a chimney breast. There are no doors, and large areas of glazing bring in natural light.

“I wanted an open-plan feel with different sections so there is some natural division and I purposefully made the ground floor split level, so the sitting room sits below the kitchen and dining area,” says Keith.Almost everything inside is bespoke and designed by Keith, not least because he couldn’t find what he wanted when he built the property 12 years ago.

“The toughest bit was sourcing because this was just before Grand Designs and Homebuilding exhibitions shows and internet shopping. Back then it was hard to find coloured lights, modern staircases and unusual baths, which is why such a lot has been custom-made.

“Fortunately I was used to designing and building in my day job, so I had lots of contacts and I’m fairly handy with joinery work.”

The staircase was sketched by Keith and made by steel fabricators Bradfabs in Bradford (www.bradfabs.co.uk) and has maple treads to match the floors. Bradfabs also made the steel juliet balconies for the rear bedrooms. The stainless steel units in the kitchen were made by a catering manufacturer, who also made him a stainless bath, and all for a cut-price of £1,200.

“I was quoted £10,000 alone for the bath from a shop in London,” says Keith.

The maple units were made by a joiner and a false wall hides wiring and pipework and also enabled Keith to install coloured lights to wash the wall.

The dining table is another Keith creation and has large yellow handturned wooden legs topped with a piece of glass from a local glazier. The sitting room is testament to Keith’s love of design classics and includes an Eames chair but it also shows his practical abilities. He tiled the chimney breast in limestone and made the enormous oval rug himself with a clever luxe-for-less idea.

“It’s a piece of carpet that I cut into shape. I then drew a two-inch border on the back, cut the border into small sections and glued them down to the back of the carpet.”

Upstairs, he created a large, light-filled office/studio, as he works from home and there are three bedrooms.

The master bedroom includes a bespoke headboard made from chipboard, which was then buttoned, padded and covered by an upholsterer.

The décor throughout, says Keith, is “minimalist” and all the walls are painted white, with some colour from wall paper from www.wallpaperdirect.co.uk, including the dry stone wall effect covering in the kitchen.

Outside, the garden is also minimal and planted with silver birch, which allows the natural beauty of the lake and fields beyond to take centre stage.

To make the most of the fabulous setting, Keith designed a gazebo by the water and a terrace with a hybrid table made from an Ikea top with a bespoke steel base.

“It’s a fantastic spot looking out over the water. You can see the fish and the birds including a kingfisher who visits regularly.”

It’s something he’ll miss when he sells to divide his time between an apartment and a Dales holiday home.

“It is time for a change, but I’ve been very happy here and it’s been the fulfilment of an ambition for me,” says Keith, who will also be leaving the new owners with a suitably fashionable name that has stood the test of time.

“I called the house The Edge for a few different reasons,” he says.

“It’s on the edge of the lake but it was also related to living on the edge. I thought it was trendy at the time and I don’t think it has dated.”

The Edge, Rawdon, is for sale through Dacre, Son and Hartley, Guiseley for £695,000 Tel: 01943  870326, www.dacres.co.uk