Then in June 2019 , the couple started their journey toward building their second self-build , a fully automated property that would prioritise low-energy and low running costs , all integrated into one smart home system .

After finding the perfect spot in the drumlins of County Downs , close to family and already complete with planning permission for a traditional style home , the McCalls had to change the permissions to their own contemporary design and get to work on the build .

Working with 2020 Architects , based in County Antrim , the property was designed to be south facing in order to take advantage of solar gain in the main living areas , specifying six Keylite roof windows in ‘ the barn ’ – an open plan living , dining and kitchen area – and one in the first-floor landing .

The build had taken place with no major issues until March 2020 , when the site closed for ten weeks during the COVID-19 outbreak . However , despite this , the project only fell behind schedule by a few weeks , and the couple moved into their brand new , fully automated home in July 2020 .

Homeowner , Mark said : “ We incorporated a lot of smart home tech into our first selfbuild home , which was a more traditional style , but each piece of hardware was running off a different system or app . We knew that this time round we wanted everything to be as integrated and automated as possible , controlling the whole home all from one place .

“ As a low-energy household , insulation and ventilation are

two very important factors for us . 2020 Architects understood that we needed some high-performance roof windows that would complement the extra insulation , air tightness and other low energy features we incorporated into the property .

“ Being able to open up our roof windows to expel any excess heat has been fantastic , particularly this summer . Yet once the windows are closed , Keylite ’ s fully integrated expanding thermal collar and triple glazing ensures that minimal heat can escape , which has made the windows perfectly compatible with the rest of the features in our home .

“ Another one of Keylite ’ s big selling points was its electric roof windows . These usually come with a standard remote control set up , but Keylite ’ s technical department went above and beyond . They spoke to our smart home suppliers , Epitome Living , and supplied additional pieces of hardware which allowed us to integrate the windows and blinds into our own system .

Client : Mark McCall

Style : Automated self-build

Location : County Down , Northern Ireland

Build time : 13 months

“ We use a smart home automation system called Loxone , which controls everything – our heat pump , lighting , music , security and access , and of course our Keylite roof windows and blinds – all from our smartphones or the wall-mounted tablet in the kitchen .

“ We have a pole-mounted weather station on our roof which measures the amount of light , rain and wind speed , and feeds back into our automated home system . If the house begins to overheat , the system will automatically open the windows to ventilate the room , and if the weather takes a turn , the windows will close . It ’ s a fantastic feature and is just one less thing we have to think about .”

Gareth Crooks , Senior Architectural Technician from 2020 Architects , adds : “ Incorporating the Keylite roof window within the design was not only to allow for additional light to access the open plan kitchen / dining / living area , but also to help ventilate the large open plan space from

potential solar gains due to the large gable window and two sets of sliding doors .

“ When it reached the technical stage , the homeowners wanted to incorporate further automation , so we agreed that Keylite roof windows were the way forward with the introduction Keylite premium electric kit which was further linked into the automation by Epitome Living .”

The property ’ s structure is split into two buildings . Looking towards the house from the front , the left side is a vaulted single storey barn that contains an open plan area with a small utility room and pantry behind , and an integrated double garage beyond that .

Although a contemporary home , the stone walls reflect many of the agricultural buildings that surround the area , with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the beautiful County Down countryside .

While inside boasts three bedrooms , high and vaulted ceilings , concrete stairs , solid floors and walls , as well as low maintenance finishes , on the outside a roof mounted photovoltaic ( PV ) solar system will be installed later this year to generate electricity from the sun .

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