{"id":458066,"date":"2026-03-05T01:37:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/458066\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T01:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T01:37:16","slug":"we-couldnt-find-a-house-to-downsize-to-so-built-one-in-our-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/458066\/","title":{"rendered":"We couldn\u2019t find a house to downsize to \u2014 so built one in our garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most couples in their eighties have long since downsized. But John and Marjorie Milbank are not most couples. When they decided to downsize from their five-bedroom Victorian house near Halesworth, Suffolk, in 2022, they couldn\u2019t find anything they liked. So at an age when many are moving to retirement flats, they decided to build a house in their back garden \u2014 and it\u2019s not some boring bungalow. <\/p>\n

They built a modern black barn with double-height ceilings, glass all round and dramatic black timber cladding. It\u2019s also two storeys; the couple always wanted a sculptural spiral staircase, despite John having endured two knee replacements.<\/p>\n

For John and Marjorie, age is a state of mind. John, 82, who used to run his own precast concrete company in Essex, still races on the classic car racing circuit. Once his knee has improved he hopes to get back to riding Pharoah, his Irish sports horse. A few years ago, in their Victorian house, he built an extension to replace their old conservatory. \u201cJohn is a very hands-on person \u2014 he will try his hand at everything,\u201d Marjorie, 81, says. \u201cHe cuts the wood, he builds fences, he\u2019s up ladders. His catchphrase is \u2018I\u2019ll just do it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Their future home \u2014 the modern black barn \u2014 looks out onto their current house<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Both previously married, the couple met in 2008 using the Eastern Daily Press\u2019s telephone Voice Personal ads. \u201cMarjorie phoned up on a Monday night. I said, \u2018Shall we meet on Tuesday?\u2019 No sense messing about,\u201d John recalls. \u201cOn the Thursday, I said, \u2018Do you fancy coming to my house for a cup of tea?\u2019 She turned up in red high heel shoes with a matching red handbag. I was having a bonfire in my wellies with no shirt on, but that\u2019s me. We started going out straight away, and we\u2019ve been together ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marjorie, a primary school teacher for 45 years, moved in with John the same year; they were married in 2010. John knew Marjorie was a kindred spirit early on when they went walking in Bury St Edmunds and she started waxing lyrical about bricks and door handles. \u201cI said, \u2018Oh, isn\u2019t that brickwork lovely,\u2019\u201d Marjorie recalls. \u201cAnd he said, excuse my language, \u2018Bloody hell. Who the hell talks about brickwork except me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Their Victorian house has five bedrooms, six reception rooms and covers 3,500 sq ft<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

John had wanted to be a civil engineer, but when he was 17 his father died so he gave up on that goal and took over the family concrete company. \u201cWe love walking around villages and backstreets and seeing the houses and how they\u2019ve evolved,\u201d John says. \u201cAnd we also love modern architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 We put a heat pump in our 17th-century house and reduced our bills<\/a><\/p>\n

John had always fancied building his own house and Marjorie had always taken a keen interest in interior design, she tells me over quiche in the cosy kitchen of their house, which is warmed by a wood-burning stove and deep red cabinetry. They love the Victorian house \u2014 originally a school \u2014 but it has five bedrooms, six reception rooms and covers 3,500 sq ft, not to mention two acres of garden. It\u2019s been great for parties; they hosted 75 people for their joint 80th birthday do, featuring an Abba tribute group. But though they\u2019re young at heart, they\u2019re also realistic. \u201cWe\u2019ve always said we\u2019ll move before we are pushed,\u201d John says.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

The couple wanted to build their new house nearby as they felt settled in the community<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

They looked far and wide, but there aren\u2019t many suitable houses for octogenarian downsizers who also need an acre for their horse. Nor were they keen on bungalows; they feel they\u2019re for old people, and they don\u2019t consider themselves old. <\/p>\n

Even so, Marjorie concedes, \u201cwe\u2019ve got friends around here, and when you\u2019re getting older, it takes you a bit longer to make new friends, doesn\u2019t it?\u2026 We thought, we can\u2019t find anywhere nicer. That\u2019s when we hit upon the idea of building our own house here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They hoped they could get planning permission to convert a 1960s piggery barn on their land, and started making inquiries in late 2022. They hired an architect, Julian D Hood. The plan was to split the plot in two, sell off the Victorian house and move to the other side of a hedge. But for two years they got caught up in planning tedium: bat surveys, newt surveys and chemical surveys on the former piggery.<\/p>\n

\u2022 How we found divine inspiration for our \u00a32.25m convent conversion<\/a><\/p>\n

They were finally granted permission for a single-storey dwelling in early 2024. Then their planning consultant, Jasmine Philpott from Durrants Building Consultancy, told them the rules had changed; instead of converting the barn, they could build new from scratch. \u201cThe new rules would allow us to knock the barn down, move the footprint, and have two storeys. We said, oh, that\u2019s what we really want,\u201d Marjorie recalls. \u201cWe did think, do we want to go through all the planning again? But the other barn was going to be a compromise. And so we said, all right, let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hood came up with a design for a sleek and contemporary black barn that also pays homage to the local vernacular: it has a pitched roof and the burnt timber cladding (a Japanese tradition called shou sugi ban) is in keeping with the old black barns that dot Suffolk. <\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

The design pays homage to the local vernacular with its pitched roof and black cladding<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

They applied for a three-bedroom, 2,000 sq ft dwelling. Permission was granted in late 2024 and they started building in early 2025. They hired timber frame specialists Daniels & Vincent to build a house from glulam, which is durable, sustainable and aesthetically appealing (their interiors have exposed engineered wood ceilings). Also on their wish list was an air source heat pump and mechanical heat ventilation recovery system.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

An air source heat pump has been installed, fulfilling John\u2019s wish to ensure the house is \u201crelevant in 30 or 40 years\u2019 time\u201d<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Inside they wanted an open-plan living-dining room, though Marjorie insisted on a separate kitchen (you can see the living room through a glass door, but it\u2019s sealed from cooking smells). She is having fun choosing the decor: art deco tiles and door handles in the bathrooms, Laura Ashley kitchen cabinetry in bottle green from the Suffolk Kitchen Co. John was keen on a floating wood-burning stove. They both wanted that showstopping elliptical staircase by First Steps Design. Why? \u201cIt\u2019s sexy,\u201d says John, who also wanted black ash door sets with matching skirting and doors with no architraves or visible hinges.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Marjorie opted for Laura Ashley cabinetry in bottle green for the kitchen<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Why did they choose a spiral staircase? \u201cIt\u2019s sexy,\u201d says John<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

The couple have always lived in period houses, but they are part of a growing cohort of pensioners who are embracing modern homes later in life. Another must-have was lots of light: the sides of the living room have double-height atriums with glazing by IDSystems, and the Norwich Architectural Lighting Company provided moody atmospheric uplighting.<\/p>\n

In keeping with Suffolk\u2019s artsy feel \u2014 think Maggi Hambling sculptures at Aldeburgh and Snape Maltings \u2014 they have a textured bronze front door by RK Doors with a sculptural handle by Phillip Watts Design, a zinc roof and metallic sculptures in the garden.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went out and decided on all these new things before we knew what the house was going to cost,\u201d John says. \u201cAnd then fainted when we found out,\u201d Marjorie says. The budget was about \u00a3800,000, \u00a380,000 of which was in the planning alone. And it took eight months \u2014 and \u00a310,000 \u2014 to get permission to connect the water mains to the new house, while hooking up electricity cost another \u00a34,000.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll buy mostly new furniture to suit their modern home, but first they have to move in \u2014 they\u2019ve accepted an offer on the Victorian house, which they had put on the market in January with Strutt & Parker for \u00a31.25 million, and are waiting to exchange. They\u2019re hoping their new house will be ready in May.<\/p>\n

\"A\"Living<\/p>\n

The old house has six reception rooms and a modern extension overlooking the garden<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

What are they most looking forward to? \u201cHaving more time,\u201d John says. \u201cWe\u2019ve spent three years talking about this build. I just want time to sit down and read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marjorie adds: \u201cWe want to have more time travelling. I also play the piano and I\u2019m in a choir. The build hasn\u2019t been stressful, but it\u2019s been tiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their new bedroom looks back on the old house, from a distance. Marjorie says they\u2019ll feel nostalgic. \u201cBut John always said we were only ever custodians of that house. It\u2019s time to pass it on to someone else who will love it as much as we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 How to sell your garden to a developer \u2014 and make \u00a3200,000<\/a><\/p>\n

John also wants to leave a legacy by building the new house. They\u2019re putting data cabling throughout to connect it to Starlink. \u201cWe want this house to be relevant in 30 or 40 years\u2019 time. We shouldn\u2019t be building for the past, we should build for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve put a shower room and sauna on the ground floor, but no bedroom as many older homeowners do. \u201cWe have no plans to stop using the stairs,\u201d Marjorie says firmly.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

The couple say they are ready to pass on their beloved old house \u201cto someone else who will love it as much as we do\u201d<\/p>\n

JASON BYE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Their optimism is admirable. But at their age, why put themselves through the upheaval of all this construction? \u201cIt\u2019s a challenge,\u201d Marjorie says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got two friends our age who are doing similar \u2014 renovating a Tudor place up in north Norfolk. They\u2019re doing it for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d John says. \u201cI don\u2019t let things worry me too much. How can I complain about anything when you look at what\u2019s going on in Ukraine? We are so very lucky. We get up in the morning and just get on with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple are a great case study for finding happiness later in life. \u201cThere are lots of couples who are not really happy,\u201d John says. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone through some tough times, but we\u2019re exceedingly lucky now. I really appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most couples in their eighties have long since downsized. But John and Marjorie Milbank are not most couples.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-458066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}