A SLEAK, ultra-modern home that featured on Grand Designs went on sale for £1.3million even though there was a key flaw with it.
Cefn Castell, a jaw-dropping dream home on a clifftop in Wales, has gained a certain degree of celebrity status itself as the property has also featured in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
When the white-washed, glass-fronted house was featured on the Channel 4 show in 2014 it was revealed that the stunning property will, in time, end up at the bottom of the cliff due to erosion.
Despite that serious issue, the house won a Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) award and long-listed for the RIBA Grand Designs: House of the Year 2015.
Not only is the property itself impressive but thanks to its position on the coastline of Gwynedd it commands some stunning views too.
Creating Cefn Castell though was a labour of love for the owners, Rob and Kay Hodgson.
The couple wanted it to look ultra-modern but also used old stone from a cottage that was 400 years old, inspired by a maritime theme and coastal observation stations.
The property was put on the market in February this year through Strutt and Parker and came with a £1.3million price tag.
The estate agent shared: “The house featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs and more recently on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and was the winner of a national RIBA award.
“It has also been featured in a wide range of design and architecture publications.
“There is 2000 sq ft of space with all rooms enjoying coastal views combined with intimate views linking internal spaces. Skyframe sliding glass panels provide access to the garden, rear courtyard and first floor terrace.”
The listing continued: “The bedroom and bathroom have spectacular coastal views of the Llyn Peninsula to Abersoch to the West and Harlech to the East and there is access to a roof terrace through a sliding glazed unit.
“The stone remains of a 400 year old existing ruined cottage were re-used for a new 2.8m monumental stone boundary wall offering exceptional privacy to residents and textural contrast using traditional stone wall building techniques of the local area.
“The new house separates from the stone wall with a glass slot roof, which delicately touches the wall.
“The home is located in an SSSI in front of the Welsh Coastal path which provides access to the beach and a short ten minute walk to the pretty seafront holiday town of Criccieth, providing a wealth of local amenities including shops, friendly pubs and excellent restaurants.”
Speaking in 2019 about the issue of cliff erosion, Rob said: “I understand the focus on the cliff, it was an aspect of the project and of course the production company needed to bring that aspect to the forefront of the story.
“People who pass by on the coastal path always want to chat and most of them ask about the cliff issue, but it hasn’t moved.
“Props have been in place for years now and we’ve not lost any more than about 10cm of it.”
According to Rob, experts had said the predicted life of the home was around 140 years, given him and his wife plenty of time to enjoy their home and relax on the patio in the garden which overlooks the sea.
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Rob told WalesOnline: “As time passes you don’t really appreciate it as much as when you start living here and I really should.
“Sometimes I just stop what I’m doing and am struck by the view but on a day-to-day basis you start to become accustomed to it. I know I am so lucky to live in such a lovely spot.”
The location wasn’t the couple’s first choice of where to live.
Rob and Kay, originally from the Warrington area, fell in love with the Llyn Peninsula and knew that the location should be where they created their new base.
They spent nearly a year trying to buy Wern Manor with a plan to create a sculpture park in the garden but at the last minute in 2008, when the property crash happened, funding from their bank was withdrawn.
While Rob would recommend others to take part on Grand Designs, saying the production crew were “all lovely and supportive” he did caution anyone should only go on with their “eyes wide open” saying the TV team will want a story to come out of it, and whatever came out would be a part of that.
He said that while they had taken a risk in building their home they didn’t have any regrets from appearing on the show.
Rob added that while it had been a very difficult project, architect John Boardman and Ian Hunt and his building team at Innerworld had created a house that had been extremely well built and there were no problems.
