residence
, 2023
Forest Hill, AB1A 1AA
Winner of the Cost Effective Prize in the 2025 Don't Move, Improve Awards, Hands-on Home is a hand-built transformation of a 1970s London property. Renovated slowly by its homeowners, it celebrates patience, resourcefulness, and the belief that process — and doing it together — matters more than the outcome. In this way, our homes can become powerful spaces of connection, care, and creativity.
Forest Hill
122, 185
The property is on a single level, with limited accessibility due to the layout. No toilet will be available due to ongoing renovation.
As a family home, we kindly ask visitors to remove their shoes and respect the space.
11:00–15:30
More than just a renovation, 'Hands-on Home' became an intergenerational living experience: grandparents passed down skills, children learned by watching, and the home evolved alongside the family. In a culture that prizes speed and perfection, doing things slowly — and with care — can feel quietly radical.
In a city where housing costs are a barrier for many, Hands-on Home offers a creative, DIY alternative — one that values process over outcome, function over fashion, and connection over perfection. It invites us to rethink what makes a ‘good home’ — not something polished or stylish, but something lived-in, loved, and layered with meaning over time.