Driving through the stunning Afan Valley north of Port Talbot on her motorbike on a regular basis was the foundation that led to a dramatic development in the life of Sharon Zagorski. On those enjoyable journeys she could never have imagined that one of the wooded hillsides would, eventually and after a lot of drama, be the site of her self-build dream home.
Sharon says: "It was the views, it was beautiful, and when a plot of land became available we went to have a look. It was just a field with outline planning for three plots to be built, 1.2 acres in total.
"I fell in love with it because although it was farmland and overgrown, you could see right down the valley, it was beautiful, so we thought let's go for it and bought the whole 1.2 acres so no-one could build in front of us."
READ MORE: Couple creates dream home out of former hospital chapel and morgue
The dream home on the hillside was the vision that drove Sharon to take on this plot of land about 11 years ago, and it became a grand designs challenge of epic proportions, with some people even recommending that she walk away from the whole project.
"A few friends who'd done self-builds themselves said 'it's far too big and on a sloping plot; you'll never get out of the ground.'" Sharon comments, "Nobody could see my vision of what it was going to look like."
And don't ever tell Sharon Zagorski she can't do something because that will just add extra fuel to the fire and make her more determined. And it's this strong desire that kept her going through some tricky times in the three years it took to create the three-storey modern mansion that now nestles into the hillside, boasting magnificent views from its walls of glass and elevated garden terrace.
Sharon, originally from Tonteg, says: "I actually designed it myself, I put it down on paper, what I wanted - an inglenook fireplace, a big staircase going up and going off either side, and the triangle with glass at the front.
"And I wanted a turret on the back of the house because I find whenever you see a new build or self-build house there are no features at the back. I love the galleried landing and the big triangle at the front - it's a bit like a conservatory and it's overlooking the whole of the valley, it's amazing."
Sharon imagined building a house in the grounds for her parents to live on site and, according to her, the planning for this is still in place, but as it turned out the lower level of the main house became a self-contained unit for her parents, which has a connecting staircase to the floors above, but has its own front door.
But before the vision could become a reality Sharon had to find an architect that shared her passion and was not phased by the sloping site, and met Alan Owen through local connections.
She says: "People said to me at the time, 'why don't you build a small square house?' but that would look like a pimple on this big plot of land so I always stuck with it and the architect says if it wasn't for me we still wouldn't be out of the ground.
"Alan was wonderful, we are still in touch, and he has since asked me if I have ever regretted anything about the build, but I have never regretted anything at all, or what I've done here."
But the project came with some challenges almost as vast as the 5,565 square foot house that now sits on the plot, and some made her cry with frustration.
Any viewer of popular Channel 4 series Grand Designs will tell you that the most epic dream home builds are not classed as challenging until you have lived on site in a draughty caravan through some of the worst weather, and Sharon and her then husband endured three long years living in the muddy field.
But being on site meant Sharon could keep the build on track, even though she was working full-time for a pharmaceutical company.
Sharon says: "I was project managing it, all the workmen coming in during different stages, making sure all the materials were here for them to work.
"I'd come home after a 12-hour shift, and then I'd come outside and be stacking blocks and doing a lot of labouring to keep the costs down.
"But bad weather with rain for months on end meant bricks or blocks couldn't be laid, or it was too cold, or it was too hot, there were lots of problems."
Some people might think that the sloping nature of the site would have been the main headache but, although costly and timely, the foundations were not the problem.
Sharon says: "We needed to install 53 concrete rings, each a metre high and some of them four metres deep, and then we filled them with concrete and then installed a ring beam on top for the footings - it was like throwing your wallet into the ground - the ground work was immense."
But the challenge that had Sharon in tears more than once was the delivery of the beautiful marble flooring that flows through the seven-bed home.
Sharon sourced the marble through a company in Birmingham and it was coming from the Himalayas. She says: "I spent £23k for nearly 6,000 square foot of marble so I could do all the floors and skirting boards, and the owners of the Birmingham company, who were lovely, actually came down one weekend and had a cup of tea in the caravan to see the project because they couldn't believe how big the house was going to be!"
But it wasn't the transport to the UK that became an issue, or the main delivery via a company in London, but the smallest delivery from a Welsh company that caused the heartache, according to Sharon.
She says: "I'd paid for the delivery but he (the owner) decided to keep them, I said to him I will come down every day in my car and pick up three tiles until I get all my marble but he said he'd sue me if I came onto his land- I was crying in the caravan."
But Sharon is not a person to be easily defeated and decided to phone ITV's consumer programme The Ferret on a Monday morning and they were on site within hours.
Sharon says: "I didn't know where to turn, it was breaking my heart, the third floor couldn't be completed because this man was refusing to deliver my marble, even though the delivery has been paid for.
"Chris Segar and the cameraman visited and filmed and in the meantime they got in touch with the company and told them they were going to be on The Ferret the next Monday.
"And fair play, The Ferret came up trumps - the delivery guy got in touch with me the next day to say he was bringing the marble up to the site, he was stressed, but it was still on the TV, I was actually on The Ferret. But at the end of the story they did say that the issue had now been resolved. It was the worst part of the build but it didn't put me off."
The house that lived in Sharon's dreams, then appeared on paper, and then, eventually, became a reality is called Rowan House and is a seven-bed, six bath modern mansion with so many incredible features to discover and explore on each level, from the turret housing the main front door and her grandchild's bedroom above to the vast garden terrace that has hosted so many parties.
But it's the central staircase blessed with the triangle of glass rising through the storeys too, that is the most distinctive and successful design feature, with the angles created ensuring that the views are optimised far more effectively than a standard, flat window.
There's the two-bed annexe on the lower ground floor offering perfect multi-generational living, or a chance to use as a holiday let with the correct permissions in place, as Sharon suggests the location between Gower peninsula and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is perfect to use as a base for exploring all that the area can offer.
It took three years and cost, including the land purchase, £480,000 but a lot more in blood, sweat, and tears but now, eight years later, it's time for Sharon to move on, but not before telling her friends 'I told you so'.
"When the build was complete my friends came up to have a little look and they couldn't believe it", Sharon laughs, "They thought I'd never get that out of the ground, they said 'we didn't think you'd complete it because it's so vast for your first build.' But I proved them wrong.
"I've always loved the house, I think it's beautiful, and I never, ever thought I'd pack it in because I was so excited and driven by the project. But I love Turkey and I have friends there so now I'm 58 in May, rather than keep on working, I'm going to chill out and go and live over there and enjoy myself.
"I'm going to buy a beautiful three-bed villa with a pool and enjoy the sunshine every day and that will help me forget Rowan House."
Rowan House is on the market for £920,000 with Peter Alan, call their Maesteg branch on 01656 736136 to find out more.
For more dream homes, renovation stories, interiors advice and property celebrity interviews, competitions and discounts too, get your copy of the NEW Amazing Welsh Homes glossy magazine - it's all Welsh, and it's all about people like you. Pre-order the magazine here.
READ NEXT:
Isolated cottage on a hill with the best sweeping countryside views for miles
Couple creates dream home out of former hospital chapel and morgue
Welsh terrace with one of the best sea views could be your next renovation project
Inside the £3m dream home right on the beach in one of Wales' most expensive places
The ordinary semi-detached house that comes with a £650k price tag for two very good reasons
