The Cheltenham House: A re evaluation of how houses are built.
The Cheltenham House is an ambitious eco-friendly underground house showcasing new design, products, materials and construction methods. It will create a sustainable living environment for the modern lifestyle with minimal environmental impact. The build is began in October 2006 and is being filmed by Channel Four’s Grand Design team. It is scheduled for completion in June 2007.

Tim Bawtree: The Ambition to Build Green
Tim Bawtree and his wife, Zoe, epitomise the modern living couple. From their regency house in Cheltenham, they each run their own internet businesses between looking after their two children, Fraser (6) and Hugo (1). Zoe sells hand made natural jewellery pieces. Twelve months ago Tim developed a unique escrow solution enabling telcomms traders to trade with each other online, irrespective of size and credit risk. Launched from home, it has grown into a remarkable success, trading over $2 million every month and there is already City interest in a future floatation.

However, Tim has always held another ambition: to exploit the latest technology to develop a pioneering eco-friendly underground house. It’s not his first eco project. By the age of 22, Tim had developed a business recycling McDonalds cartons by extruding them into plastic wood and then selling them back as outdoor furniture to over 100 McDonalds! This time the goal is even more ambitious: he intends to show UK planners and builders to re evaluate how houses are built.

In February 2006 Tim and family were granted planning permission to build on a small 24m x 6m plot behind their regency house in a Conservation Area surrounded by Grade II and GradeII* listed buildings. From this tiny beginning, Tim hopes The Cheltenham House will become a landmark in British build design.

Is This The Turning Point for Underground Housing?
Tim believes it is time to reconsider building underground in light of advances in technology and building materials; pressing environmental issues and the desperate demand for housing. Underground housing will be less susceptible to the impact of global warming, and reduce both energy consumption and land use.

The Advantages of Underground Housing
Light transfusion, moisture exclusion and capital investment have been the key obstacles to the widespread adoption of underground housing but The Cheltenham House will showcase cutting edge technology (including the latest waterproof concrete and new developments in natural light transfusion) and aims to encourage the planning and building communities to reconsider underground options.

Protection against extreme weather patterns
Underground houses offer extra protection against the anticipated increase in temperature extremes, high winds, hailstorms, tornados and hurricanes, as the globe warms. They are also less affected by changes in outdoor air temperatures. Since temperatures inside an earth sheltered house are more stable, interior rooms are more comfortable and require less artificial control.

Opportunity to build in noisy locations
The natural sound proofing qualities of earth presents opportunities to build in otherwise unacceptable locations.

Opportunity to build in environmentally sensitive locations
Underground houses can blend harmoniously and sometimes almost invisibly into the landscape.

Lower energy consumption and running costs
Underground houses use significantly less energy to maintain, in both summer and winter. They should also cost less to insure because they are more sheltered from the elements. Depending on the design there is no need for external painting or mending and cleaning of gutters.