Fire-fighter Phil and college lecturer Cath live in a detached 1930s art-deco house with children, David, 10, Lucy, 7, and William, 5. They were impressed with the Integer project. "We fell in love with the house, its design features, technology, layout and decor. It has a fantastic feel." The family felt that the layout created an impression of space, and the two staircases added variety. The light and airy feel of the living area more than compensated for dark areas they found in the bedrooms.
They thought the layout of the middle floor encouraged them to spend time together. The only downside was that sound from television and conversation easily travelled downstairs. The Integer house's innovations were popular, particularly Intellikey, which proved useful to the Russells' invited guests. They thought the movable partition between the bedrooms was a good idea, but required further development.
"The wall panels were easy to dismantle and move back flush with the permanent wall, but it was very difficult to reassemble and had too much lateral movement between the panels," they said. The emergency lighting – called into action during a power failure – also worked well.
Among the more popular aspects of the house were the chickens – suppliers of eggs, and whose escape bid provided entertainment – the kitchen equipment and the Husqvarna grazing lawnmower.
Filled with plants and floorboards the conservatory is the ideal place to be on a Sunday afternoon
David, aged 10
I really liked the spiral staircase and the glass table in the conservatory. It was really good to have the two different staircases
Lucy, aged 7
Eco-friendly, but not in-your-face technology. Apart from the big tv, it just seemed like a normal, well-designed house. It was only when the engineers showed you the double insulation, computers and heat pumps that you realised they were there
Cath Russell
We revisited the house for a photo shoot a month after filming ended and felt just as good about the place as we had earlier
Cath Russell
The family assessment
Ground floor Downstairs storage √ washing machines and drier housed near bathroom/bedrooms X washing machine too noisy near bedrooms when using intelligent system to operate at night √ security panel for night-time setting Master bedroom X small size and also serves as access from conservatory to house √ wide range of lighting and access to the sound system with speakers in ceiling X slatted glass in exterior door created draught Middle bedroom √ eldest child enjoyed use of computer and own telephone X due to partition wall, all power points restricted to exterior wall Third bedroom X lighting switch console difficult for children to use Conservatory √ blinds and vents worked well, controlling temperature X automatic doors become nuisance to secure and children used them as plaything √ veranda very attractive X spiral stair gradient steep and dangerous for younger children or older people √ frosted-glass floor of veranda showed every footmark from below Bathroom X outward-opening door was dangerous and light switch accessed on outside behind door opening √ bath programming with controls for temperature and quantity X no plug warning light reminding users to close it before running bath √ push button toilet flush and basin taps X heated mirrors warmed up room if lights left on √ heated mirrors never steamed up Middle Floor Entrance √ light and airy with plenty of hooks for coats X no cupboard for coats √ cameras by the front door, path and parking area to access on television or computer X doorbell needs to be audible around the house, not just in the kitchen First-floor toilet X outward-opening door design was dangerous, with many near misses as it was such a busy area √ washbasin sensors useful and hygenic X toilet flush button behind seat made access cumbersome X open shower caused wet and messy floors. Floor surface difficult to clean Stairways X open stairs got dirty and marked easily - the wooden stairs made a lot of noise through the three levels √ glass bannister sides attractive X glass bannister sides difficult to keep clean √ excellent lighting, including overhead and floor-level wall lights Lounge √ whole family enjoyed lounge area X lighting sockets standing proud of floor tripped people up √ blinds looked good X blinds awkward to operate and did not exclude light √ integral lighting looked great with many variations X lighting had far too many switches - needed main on/off master √ access to the conservatory via the patio and glass veranda particularly attractive X children tended to run into veranda patio door when closed X need to keep heating vents clear restricted use of floor space Dining area X movable table housing housekeeping computer caught on floor heating grills √ open-plan area gives light and airy feel Kitchen X work surfaces stained by spilled drinks √ under-sink drawer with four recycling bins was useful X height of wall units difficult for shorter people √ housing of appliance at hip height √ stainless steel splashbacks √ sink housed with stainless steel surface allowing draining on either side - useful for left-handed people √ particularly liked positioning of sink close to/overlooking living/dining area Utility area √ recycling boxes in cupboard really useful X needed clearly identified space for vacuum cleaner and ironing board Top Floor Study/home office √ glass partition door became opaque at flick of a switch X homeworker may prefer the view from a lower window Solar window √ favourite room for adults to sit and relax in X may not be warm enough in winter Top landing √ easy access to electrical and computer cupboard using Intellikey to exclude childrenSource
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