Above The Bar was the 1st Runner Up winner and the People’s Choice winner in the 2024 ICF Builder Awards in the small residential category. Built using Nudura blocks, Above The Bar stands overlooking a cliff in Salcombe, Devon, United Kingdom. Duncan Lilburn, of Lilburn & Elliott Construction, submitted the project, which had a few challenges from the start, apart from being built on a cliff. The home was built on a coastal path that had to remain open to the public with about 100 people passing by it each day during construction. This left little room on the site for access and for planning deliveries. At 2,066 square feet, the house steps back into the hillside on each floor to blend in with its surroundings.

Out of 52 weeks of construction time, ICF construction time was only 6 weeks. And, the builders estimate they saved 8 weeks of construction time by building with ICFs. Structural engineer Nigel Ridley of N. R Associates recommended ICF as a strong, light, easy-to-utilize material on a difficult site, with a cliff edge dropping down three stories. This was a bit of a family project, with the family’s daughter working as the architect and structural engineer being their son’s father-in-law.

“The inaccessibility of the site in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where pleasing planners and local conservationists meant that the whole project had to be dealt with very sensitively,” says Lilburn.

Using Nudura meant the walls could be built, re-enforced, shored up and filled with concrete quickly. Adapting the design was swift and uncomplicated without masses of wasted product. The building system enhanced the project by the speed and efficiency of the reinforced structure, which could be built on top of each platform and against a rock face.” Lilburn & Elliott Construction was chosen at an early stage due to previous experience with Nudura and through working with the structural engineer on past projects. “The architects hadn’t designed a build with ICF before and were a little nervous using this system,” says Lilburn. “Having the meeting with Nick from the Fell Partnership (form distributor) and us, put their minds at rest.”

Craftsmanship and Sustainability
Different sizes of Nudura blocks were used on the same levels due to retaining wall properties. Local stone was used to clad the lower ground floor and the team even managed to use the stone that they had taken down from the existing garden wall. “Zinc wall panels were all designed and cut to different sizes so folds would line up with the window reveals,” says Lilburn. “The zinc roof design had four different lengths to each wall, making it very tricky to install, but the finished product speaks for itself.”
The heating and cooling system runs using an air-source heat pump and MVHR units. LED lighting is used throughout and a log burner was installed to utilize the woods behind the construction. A SAP rating of 79, a C, was achieved. In the UK, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows the energy current and potential energy rating of a property, known as a SAP rating, which stands for Standard Assessment Procedure. A SAP rating of 92-100 SAP points, an A score, is the most efficient.

Background & Significance
Lilburn says the Above The Bar project has received a lot of attention and praise. “It’s hard to put into words how we managed to build on this property in this location,” he says. “A lot of the comments we have received are ‘How did you do that?’ It’s definitely a significant build in the area being the last house you will see on water and land out of Salcombe Bay.” The general contractor and ICF installer, Lilburn & Elliott Construction, won regional awards for best small commercial and residential builders and advanced to national finals. “A large part of this award is due to Above The Bar,” says Lilburn. “The owners are extremely happy.”