A HOME designed by a first-time architect is being sold for £1.2 million.

Jeremy Taylor spent many of his childhood holidays in Dorset and loved the county so much that together with wife Annabel decided to swap London life for a rural idyll.

Although their first intention was to renovate the 1950s home they found at West Chelborough, near Cattistock, the couple decided to knock it down and start again.

Mr Taylor, 41, said: "We were living and working in London but wanted to move and live in Dorset because we love it so much. I had spent many family holidays here as a child and have friends here - it just seemed the right place to move to.

"We found a house that we thought we could improve and make into a nice family home, but I thought why not start from scratch and build a family home instead."

Mr Taylor had studied architecture as part of his art history degree, but other than that had no formal qualifications.

"I knew about how things look and how things should look because I worked as a painter-decorator so I have seen a lot of buildings being finished off and had a good idea of what to do."

With the help of a structural engineer the couple embarked on a two-year project to build the dream home, even moving into the property, with children Rose, now four and Felix, two, when just three rooms were completed. "We had three rooms ready and lived in those while the building work carried on around us," Mr Taylor added.

Mr Taylor managed the building project full-time, and Mrs Taylor, 34, who was working in the City as a banker when the project started, spent much of her time working from home in Dorset. But after months of upheaval the family home, Hollytree House, was completed just in time for the arrival of child number three - Florence, five months.

Agents for the house Knight Frank describe the property as Georgian in style, but Mr Taylor describes the home as "Elizabethan - meaning Elizabeth II," with classical influences.

Although the couple love the six-bedroom four-bathroom house, which is set in 1.5-acres of land, they have decided to sell up and start the process all over again.

"I am hooked on the whole process and want to build somewhere else in Dorset, which we plan to live in permanently, especially as the family is starting to grow."

The house has now been nominated for the Daily Telegraph Homebuilding and Renovating Award 2004 and is on the market with Sherborne based Knight Frank for a guide price of £1.2 million. Contact Knight Frank on 01935 812236 for more details.