When he decided to build a home surrounded by 50 acres of unspoilt West Sussex countryside, John Gough knew from the outset that the building would feature a substantial amount of glazing.
Here, we speak to builder and property developer John about how Minima’s frameless sliding doors helped to flood his contemporary property with light and maximise those stunning country views.
An opportunity came up to acquire some beautiful agricultural land near Horsham with planning consent already in place. So I set about building a five-bedroom contemporary home, largely on one level, that would settle discreetly into the landscape and maximise the incredible 360 rural views.
We used Target Timber Systems for the timber frame structure, our architects were Gould Baxter in Haywards Heath, and our sliding glass doors came from Minima Sliding.
I wanted a large, bright and airy space, because I’m a huge fan of open plan living. I needed minimal sightlines to make the most of the views and I also wanted to have renewable energies built in. We have a ground source heat pump, an 8kw Solar PV system and a Tesla powerwall battery. All this means that the running costs are minimal, partly because the design incorporates a degree of solar gain.
I first came across Ultraline at a Grand Designs exhibition at the NEC. It was an instant attraction! The product was exactly what I needed because of the narrow sightlines and high quality. I looked at other suppliers, but there was nobody else who could give me a minimal sightline of 20mm all around the door with electronic locking in the head of the door unit.
Because it was all about the views with The Grange, we went for four massive sliding units at the rear which framed the main living space. When the doors are pulled back they create a huge, 9 metre opening. It feels amazing to be in that space with the doors open. With the paved areas externally and the generous eave projection on the roof, you have that sense of bringing the outside in.
It was also important that the glass should go from the floor all the way up to the ceiling with no down stand, and Ultraline were happy to achieve this. I chose a brushed aluminium frame because I wanted the door frames to blend in as much as possible with the brickwork, the timber, and the limestone floors.
Everything was very simple and straightforward. Once I’d made the decisions about the configuration, I was happy with the timescales they offered and everything went smoothly. It was a quick build over just 10 months, so I needed to work with reliable suppliers. I was really happy with the service I received from Minima.
I’m a builder so that does make me harder to please than your average customer! I know a fair amount about building products from all the houses I’ve built over the years, but I’ve been really impressed with our sliding doors from Minima.
The main living space at the rear of the property is huge – about 30 metres across and all open plan. I’m an early riser, so nothing beats walking into that lovely space at six in the morning to watch the sheep grazing in the fields as the mist rolls in. It’s a really spectacular view.
Yes, absolutely. We’ve been very happy with our Ultraline doors and I’ve used them again for some of my clients’ project. Dealing with Minima is easy because they’re very organised and efficient. Also, I haven’t seen any other companies on the market producing minimal sliding doors of a similar spec or quality.
If you’re using lots of glass, make sure you take solar gain into consideration, otherwise it can be easy to end up with a space that overheats. The key is to ensure you have some kind of shading around any glazed opening. With our property, we had wide projecting eaves around the outside of the building to keep any solar gain under control. One of the benefits of this is that there was no need to put up any blinds or curtains at the glass doors. You can just enjoy the views with nothing in the way.
Need help with your newbuild or extension? Contact us now to find out more about Minima Sliding’s award-winning, minimal sliding doors.