A modern two-storey house with a wooden exterior, large windows, and a flat roof stands in a grassy field under a cloudy sky. Featuring plywood construction, shrubs and trees are visible in the background.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A modern two-storey house with vertical wooden slats, large windows, and a sliding glass door showcases sleek plywood construction. Potted plants and small trees frame the entrance, with grass and gravel in the foreground under a cloudy sky.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A modern wooden house built with the U-Build system sits among tall grass and wildflowers, surrounded by trees under a partly cloudy sky. A dirt path curves through the greenery towards the building.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A modern wooden house built with vertical slats and a single rectangular window, surrounded by grass and gravel, with cloudy skies and greenery in the background—showcasing sleek plywood construction.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A modern interior with wooden furniture, a round dining table, chairs, light wood walls in plywood construction, a hallway with a glass door at the end, and a loft space above featuring a red armchair. Natural light fills the house.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A patterned ceramic vase sits on a white windowsill in a minimalist room with light wood-panelled walls, highlighting plywood construction. A partially open window lets in soft daylight. Some fruit rests on a dark surface in the lower right corner.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A bright hallway with wooden floors and stair railing built using the U-Build system, featuring a red armchair, small round black table, white floor lamp, and large window overlooking greenery. An open door leads to a bedroom.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

A modern, boxy wooden house built with a U-Build system sits surrounded by tall grass, wildflowers, and trees under a cloudy sky, with a dirt path leading towards the building.

Billingford House by Studio Bark, Jim Stephenson 2024

Stacks of unfinished plywood beehive boxes are arranged outdoors on grass, with leafless trees and houses visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

U-Build boxes for Billingford House

A building under construction with spruce timber wall panels partially installed, open window and door spaces visible, and trees and blue sky in the background, highlighting sustainable building practices.

U-Build boxes for Billingford House

Partially constructed timber construction on a gravel foundation, featuring spruce beams, with trees and a house visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

U-Build boxes for Billingford House

A construction site with spruce timber framing for a building foundation, surrounded by scaffolding and metal poles, in an outdoor rural area with green fields and a blue sky with clouds in the background.

U-Build boxes for Billingford House

Billingford House

Billingford House, a two-storey home in Norfolk built in 2024, was constructed using Studio Bark’s flat-pack U-Build system. U-Build was chosen in response to the client’s self-build ambitions which allowed them greater involvement with the build process.

This two bedroom house with open-plan kitchen, living and dining space, sits on a plot of land within the small village of Billingford. Sited in the north west corner of the plot, the home is arranged around a south facing, 3 sided courtyard offering views across the length of the site and glimpses of the village church beyond. Billingford is Studio Bark’s 6th home to have permission granted under Paragraph 84 (formerly Paragraph 84/79/55) of the NPPF.

The client’s dream home brief

The client brief was to blur the distinction between the home and the beautiful plot of land in which it sits. The design shelters external space but still lets the client enjoy the openness of the wider site. Arranged over two storeys, the proposal faces the south to maximise passive solar gains and natural ventilation. The client can close the courtyard with a large movable shutter which offers a changeable space depending on the desired use, whilst also helping to control solar gains to the south-facing rooms.

An indigenous fruit orchard will satisfy the client’s desire to grow and manage their own produce. It also provides a rich environment for new and existing ecosystems.

Learn more at: Billingford (studiobark.co.uk)