DEMAND FIVE

Architect and property expert George Clarke meets another couple dreaming of an idyllic new life. This week's project - a beach house backing on to a busy road in Worthing - may not sound as exotic as some, but the plan seems enticingly simple and the results could be to die for.

Web designer Jez and barrister Laura have decided to move away from London to the coast. Jez's philosophy is simple: "If you're not happy with your life, change it." The couple plan to find a beachfront site, design a spectacular glass-fronted house and fund its construction by selling half the plot. Attractive lightweight materials will be used in the build and a big chunk of the budget will be reserved for top-notch fittings and decoration.

With the front of what will be their new home just metres from the sea, Jez and Laura appear to have found a dream location. But it has taken them three years to find a buyer for the house that will be built alongside their own to the same design spec - a requirement of the local planning authority. Now that they do finally have the go-ahead, George Clarke has just one question: should Jez be acting as project manager for the build when he has no building experience and his own business to run? Jez describes this as a calculated risk, adamant that he wants to spend his money on the interior, not on paying someone to oversee the build. The plans for the house show a three-storey building. A state-of-the-art kitchen and dining area will open on to the beach, and this lower level of the house will also incorporate a wet room and sauna.

The middle floor is to be a luxurious living room, and the top floor will include a bathroom and three bedrooms, one with a balcony facing the sea. The interior will be flooded with natural light cascading
down an open stairwell. The first hurdle is a major last-minute change of mind about ensuring that the building is waterproof. Out go traditional techniques and in comes heavyduty waterproof concrete, a aterial normally used in constructing tunnels. The builders are unfamiliar with it, and when George hecks with the foreman, he is told that this redesign invalidates the plans he is supposed to be working from. Novice project manager Jez is very much in the hands of the guys on site. Luckily for him they do a great job.

But the target for moving in is the summer, and by the time the concrete shell is ready, the project is more than four weeks behind schedule and £30,000 over budget. Jez remains optimistic, but George tells him there is no way his "interesting learning curve" can continue on this trajectory. In March, a couple of lorries from Scotland roll on to the beach bearing Jez's bold choice of building materials. Rather than bricks and mortar, he has opted for insulated panels of timber and polystyrene, which a startled Laura likens to ice-cream wafers. In fact they prove a marvel of modern technology and slot together like a dream.

Next on the agenda are the roof, some timber cladding, and three picture windows made in Germany from high-quality distortion-free glass. Another example of Jez's refusal to compromise, these windows cost £18,000. It's the same story with the interior decoration, with the kitchenworktop timber alone costing a cool £4,000.

The major structural work on the beach house is comparatively trouble-free. Easily assembled, attractive materials come together in the shell of what has the potential to be a beautiful home, making the total budget of £170,000 look very reasonable. But as summer approaches, Jez and Laura decide they must rein in their spend and tackle the rest of the interior themselves. With plastering, bathroom and kitchen installations and flooring to be done, George wonders if this is wise, given this couple's insistence on a high-quality finish throughout. With demanding jobs and a lack of DIY experience, can Jez and Laura pull out the stops and realise every last detail of their dream?

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