Lisburn luxury property oozing modern style includes home gym

As a builder Alan Little has developed a reputation for encouraging clients to push the boundaries on home building and design.

nd his own brand-new family home in Lisburn encapsulates his approach perfectly, showing what can be achieved when you are prepared to think outside the box.

Passers-by can’t resist stopping for a glimpse of the splendour of the L-shaped luxury property which oozes modern style on the outside.

Once over the door, the designer feel continues in every well-thought-out room, from the luxury master suite with balcony to the fully equipped home gym and bright family living/kitchen/dining space.

Alan is rightly proud of what he has achieved and credits his architect David Haire from Lurgan with helping him to create a house that is both unique and very beautiful.

He says: “I believe when you build a house, it is nice to build a statement. I want people to remember me for the house. It’s not that I want to be noticed but it is nice to put something different up.

“I’m a builder and this (his new home) is my shop window. Clients come on a weekly basis to see what can be achieved with different materials and different shapes. I’m not in the business of building boxes.

“My wife and I went to David Haire with a wish list. We knew what we wanted from the house and we let David do his thing.

“David is very straight talking and what you see is what you get.

“I’ve never met an architect who is so genuinely enthusiastic and he has a trend which is similar to mine and is not afraid to think outside the box.”

Alan, who specialises in building bespoke luxury homes with his company A L Contracts (NI) Ltd, bought the site in 2019 and split it in two, building a house beside his own family home.

He started work in July 2019 and was part way through the project when Covid struck and all building work ceased on sites in March 2020.

Continuing to work on his own throughout the pandemic, he finally finishing the house in October 2020.

Alan and his wife Catherine (38) had a clear vision for what they wanting from the living space they share with their daughters Ava (12) and Lily-Mae (9).

He explains: “Space was the big thing for us and the view. I bought the site because of the view as it looks out over the whole of the Lagan valley.

“My wife likes the sun so she wanted a south facing garden and an enclosed garden.

“There are only four bedrooms, our master suite which is very five star and the kids’ rooms which are identical and have en suites.

“Our fourth bedroom is a purpose-built gym which my wife wanted and outside we have a sun area with a fire pit and a hot tub.

“We do have a lounge which we rarely visit. Family life for us is in the open plan kitchen/living/dining room.

“There is also an office for me and a utility room.”

The house has been designed in two distinct parts and outside is a mix of white render, sloping roofs, striking black cement and larch wood cladding with lots of large floor to ceiling windows.

The bedrooms, gym, lounge and office are all contained in a large white rendered block which has a sloping roof and feature larch wood cladding.

The family living space and kitchen is in a separate block which juts out from the first and looks completely different with its black exterior.

This part of the house is clad in a new manmade cement-like product known as equitone and features a large picture window surrounded by a chunky coloured zinc frame.

Alan (42) says: “We have used different materials on the finishes but the main structure is simple block built.

“Two thirds of the roof is zinc and the kitchen block has a black slate roof.

“That part of the house is clad in equitone which is a relatively new material which we are trying to get more people to use as it is something different.

“The zinc box round the window was very much David Haire’s idea and so way out there that at first my wife and I were resistant.

“We love it, everybody loves it and it’s become a real talking point. It’s quite funny the amount of people going past who stop to take photos of it.”

The interior is just as striking and as well as being very luxurious and stylish, there is no doubt it also feels like a much loved and lived-in family home.

The designer white high gloss kitchen is German from Creative Living in Belfast and most of the furnishings in the house are from the couples’ favourite shop Watson and Brown in Carryduff.

The flooring is a mix of tiles and carpets with bathrooms by Soaks.

The master suite is, Alan admits, a bit of an indulgence with a large walk-in dressing room, huge en suite and a glass cantilever balcony.

The exterior has also been given a lot of attention with beautiful landscaping, dotted throughout with plenty of mature trees.

Although he hasn’t had it valued, Alan has been reliably informed the house if worth over £1 million. So did he manage to build his family’s dream home?

Alan adds: “For the moment yes. Will I build again? Yes, I will but not for at least five to 10 years.

“We love the house and it does exactly what we wanted and we had a brilliant first summer in it last year.

“But I do get the itch to build and my wife sees the big picture and that we only come round this world once so if we do get a better site in the future, I wouldn’t rule it out.”