This 3 bedroom new build family house is set in 4 acres at the edge of a Lancashire village. The brief required a house that was laid out over 2 storeys but could accommodate lifetime homes standards for ground floor living, and whilst open plan in layout could retain the function of accommodating distinct rooms. In response, a series of interconnecting living spaces link though disappearing corner sliding door sets to create the illusion of an entirely open plan ground floor, that opens on three sides to outdoor garden ‘rooms’ that capture light at different times of the day. The house achieves an extremely low carbon footprint, with an all timber structure and a highly efficient envelope, supported by a 3.2kW solar PV array and ground source heat pump to provide for heating and electricity needs with almost no net running costs. The design required a complicated and committed route through the planning process due to ‘backland development’ and ‘edge of green belt’ concerns raised by the planning authority, but these were satisfactorily overcome.