Grand Designs Oxford the Octagon House

Grand Designs eco house built for only £27,000 destroyed by fire on New Year's Day

When it featured on the Channel 4 programme in 2016, Simon and Jasmine Dale's home was described as "the cheapest house ever built in the Western Hemisphere"

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Famous eco-house which featured on Grand Designs is destroyed by a fire on New Year's Day

An eco-house which featured on Grand Designs after being built for only £27,000 was destroyed by fire on New Year's Day.

When it featured on the Channel 4 programme in 2016, Simon and Jasmine Dale's home was described as "the cheapest house ever built in the Western Hemisphere".

The three bedroom house had been made with reclaimed materials, including glass and timber.

It was insulated with sheep's wool.

The couple spent six years building it in the sustainable community of Lammas in rural Pembrokeshire.

But a fire broke out on New Year's Day and the house was destroyed after firefighters fought at the scene for more than six hours.

Now, friends have set up a crowdfunding page to help the couple re-build.

Firefighters fought the blaze at the scene for more than six hours (

Image:

Just Giving)

The home in Pembrokshire was built for just £27,000 (

Image:

Channel 4)

One of the bedrooms in the home built by the couple (

Image:

Channel 4)

The JustGiving page says: "Simon, Jasmine and their two children have been residents at Lammas eco village, Pembrokeshire, since the start of the project.

"They have been working on their family home for the last six years.

"This beautiful building was featured on Grand Designs last year.

The house had been made with reclaimed materials, including glass and timber (

Image:

Channel 4)

Simon and Jasmine at their home in Pembrokshire with presenter Kevin McCloud (

Image:

Channel 4)

The house was insulated with sheep's wool (

Image:

Channel 4)

"Sadly a fire started on New Years Day and their beloved home was burned to the ground. Luckily no one was hurt but, as you can imagine, the family are devastated."

Posting on Facebook, the Lammas Community Hub said: "Their huge greenhouse escaped, as did Simon's workshop, and there little roundhouse is still fine too.

"Huge amount of work that went into the creation of the building, and the kids rooms, all destroyed. Thankfully no-one was hurt, which is a miracle."

Dai Swan, group manager for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said crews were confronted by a fierce fire on arrival, which had engulfed a house, Wales Online reports.

Presenter Kevin McCloud in Pembrokshire (

Image:

Channel 4)

The couple spent six years building it in the sustainable community of Lammas (

Image:

Channel 4)

He said the straw construction of the building made the blaze difficult to extinguish as the material can easily reignite, but said firefighters had managed to stop it spreading to a nearby greenhouse.

He told the Western Telegraph : "It's utterly heartbreaking for the crews seeing how much workmanship has gone into these [house] frames.

"Each piece of this building is bespoke, it's done to a beautifully high standard and to see it damaged by fire is just heartbreaking."

Simon and Jasmine had dreamed of living off the land with their children, Elfie and Cosmo, at the pioneering sustainable village.

With just £500 to launch the project and delays caused by Welsh winter weather, the construction of the couple's Hobbit-esque dream home took four years.

You can donate on the couple's website here or visit the JustGiving page here .

Grand Designs Oxford the Octagon House

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eco-house-featured-grand-designs-11798240