This week: eco-homes from a bioclimatic house built on a wooden frame with concrete hemp in Brittany, to a contemporary barn conversion in Bressingham, Norfolk, and an Edwardian villa in County Durham.
Timbers, Durfold Wood, Plaistow, West Sussex. A well-insulated, contemporary property with an oak frame and an air-source heat pump supplying hot water. It has exposed ceiling timbers and a free-standing wood-burning stove. 4 beds, 5 baths, open-plan kitchen/living area, workshop, gardens, 1.3 acres. £1.48m Savills 01798-343111.
St John's Hall, Canterbury, Kent. This Grade II-listed hall has been renovated and includes a ground-source heat pump and a conservatory with automated glazing. It has a suspended feature fireplace in the living room and a library with a barrel-vaulted walnut ceiling. 5 beds, 5 baths, recep, study, garden. £1.98m Strutt & Parker 01227-451123.
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Pontivy, Morbihan, Brittany, France. A bioclimatic house built in 2011 on a wooden frame with concrete hemp, which offers excellent insulation. The property is surrounded by landscaped gardens and has floor-to-ceiling windows and a double-height ceiling in the open-plan living area with a mezzanine landing. 3 beds, 187 sq m internal living space, 0.6 acres. €395,000 Groupe Mercure +33 (0)5 61 21 52 01.
Mamaroneck, Westchester County, New York, US. This contemporary house is set on the water's edge, overlooking the harbour with views towards Long Island Sound. The property is built from eco-friendly materials and has organic insulation, 28 solar panels, an energy-recovery system, triple-pane floor-to-ceiling windows, a luxury fitted kitchen and a freestanding wood-burning stove. 6 beds, 5 baths, 2 receps, decks, 0.39 acres. $2.7m Houlihan Lawrence +1 914 833 0420.
Hollincroft, Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle, County Durham. This Edwardian villa was built in 1908 and has recently been upgraded to include cavity-wall insulation, underfloor heating, solar panels and a Tesla power wall, which make it highly efficient to run. It retains its original tiled floor in the entrance hall and has wooden floors and an open fireplace with a marble surround. 3 beds, 2 baths, 2 receps, conservatory, studio, gardens. £700,000 Savills 01325-370500.
Burdock, Hunmanby, North Yorkshire. A state-of-the-art, modern eco-home in a south-facing position backing onto open fields on the Yorkshire coast. It has been designed to have low running costs and has an air-source heat pump with an air-recovery system, photovoltaic panels, and German-engineered glazed window units. 3 beds, 2 baths, dressing room, open-plan living area/kitchen, garden. £545,000 Jackson-Stops 01904-625033.
Bressingham II, Bressingham, Norfolk. A contemporary barn conversion designed by the architect Andrew Hughes with a garden accessed by a private footbridge over a former moat. It has underfloor heating fuelled by an air-source heat pump, wood-burning stoves, and a living room with glazed doors leading onto a terrace. 4 beds, 3 baths, kitchen, recep. £799,000 The Modern House 020-3795 5920.
Auckland Drive, Brighton. A new-build house made from insulated concrete with a heat-recovery system and water-saving devices throughout. The landscaped gardens include a fully insulated home office. 3 beds, 2 baths, dressing room, kitchen/living area. £425,000. Mishon Mackay 01273-670067.
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