Architects lift the lid on £2.5m ‘super home’

Matthew Montague Architects has announced the completion of a brand-new £2.5 million super home which has been created in the Derbyshire countryside.

Windley Heights, which sits within the rural village of Windley, six miles north of Derby, is a 7,500 sq ft ultra smart home.

Historically, the site was a sawmill owned by a local businessman who was using it as a timber yard.

Planning for the project was secured in 2011, when a change of use of the site from commercial to residential was granted.

Later the same year, Amber Valley Borough Council embraced the concept of a one-off, exceptional, contemporary designed home on the site.

Matthew Montague, principal architect at Matthew Montague Architects, said: “Securing planning permission for the dwelling wasn’t easy.

“The land is situated outside of the village and, as a result, outside of the development boundary, so it was considered countryside.

“To gain any chance of success the dwelling needed to have architectural merit.”

A new home was designed to blend in with its countryside setting with curved external retaining walls at both ends and a curved roof.

McLaren Property Group purchased the property in 2022, 10 years after the original planning permission was secured.

Works are now complete, and the result is a spectacular six-bedroom contemporary upside-down house.

Matthew said: “The site has a colourful history and there has been a few trials and tribulations along the way, but the developers took a leap of faith, and the result is an exceptional property. It has been a pleasure to be involved.”