Part 2: Grand Designs project Holme House Farm utilises Aico’s HomeLINK Gateway

Jonny of JS Electrical, Project Manager and owner of the new home, has been managing the build on behalf of his wife, Cara, and two children. Jonny has been self-employed for about ten years and mostly works as a domestic electrician.

We recently re-visited the property during the final stages of sign-off, to catch up with Jonny and walk him through the installation of our Ei1000G Gateway and HomeLINK Environmental Sensors.

Before building their new home, Jonny and Cara were living in a townhouse with their son in a nearby village, when in 2019, their lives took an unexpected turn with Cara becoming unwell. After being rushed to hospital, it became clear that she was suffering from an autoimmune disease, causing swelling on the brain and spinal cord which resulted in Cara being paralysed from the waist down. Whilst in the hospital, the couple also found out they were expecting their second child.

This huge life change rendered their current four-story home inaccessible for their evolving family, prompting a move into the bungalow on Cara’s parents’ farmhouse grounds.

Although they were now living in a bungalow, it still was not wheelchair friendly. So, in August 2021, Jonny got planning permission to build their new accessible home on the same land. A few weeks later, Cara had the idea to apply for the TV Show, Grand Designs, they put their application together and later got asked to be on the show.

With the exciting appearance on Grand Designs looming, the long process of building a home began with the old stable block being demolished in October 2021. This got the site ready for the ground works to take place in February 2022. The importance of giving Cara as much freedom as possible was continuously at the core of the project, with Jonny stating, “If I’m at work, knowing that Cara is much safer on her own is the whole reason we built this house—to give Cara her independence back.”.

To keep the project budget low, Jonny completed a large portion of the work himself, such as the fibreglass roofing and electrics. Jonny said, “That’s what everyone thinks, you know, that you become paralysed and get a loan, get a pay-out for it, and it’s just not the case…for a lot of people, you get paralysed, you lose your job, have to get a new home, and you don’t get any money for it.”

When choosing the fire alarm system for his home Jonny described it as a “no-brainer”. He has been installing Aico products without issues under JS Electrical in rentals and has become very familiar with them, he says, “It just made sense to install them here”. After hearing about the family’s story, Aico generously decided to donate the Multi-Sensor Alarms and Environmental Systems installed in the home.

The fire alarm system installed at the property is Grade D1 LD2, with seven Ei3024 Multi-Sensor Fire Alarms fitted across the hallways, the kitchen (including the pantry and utility room), and the living room. With sustainability in mind throughout this build, the property is fully electric, which means there was no need to install any carbon monoxide alarms. “In terms of fire safety and coordinating the alarms with the room layout, it ticks all the boxes for peace of mind”, Jonny stated. It was also important to include the Ei450 RadioLINK Alarm Controller which allows Cara to test, locate and silence the alarms at reach.

In addition to installing alarms and points of control, Cara needed to have access to plenty of exits in case of emergencies. This massively impacted the design of the building, including an exit in their bedroom, living room, and kitchen, as well as the front door.

Aico donated three Environmental Sensors, two Ei1020’s and one Ei1025, as well as an Ei1000G SmartLINK Gateway. During Daniel’s visit, he assisted Jonny in setting up the system and fitting the sensors. These were strategically placed throughout the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Jonny went on to discuss the benefits of having the Gateway installed and having alerts sent to the app on his phone. This is beneficial to the family as it comforts them to know Cara is safe, as well as contributing to Cara’s freedom.

This project has been life-changing for the family and Aico is honoured to contribute to supporting this transition and making their home safer. Their Grand Designs episode will air on the 9^th of October on Channel 4. We are excited to watch the journey of this amazing project.