Up here on the terrace, D'Avoine continues the framing of views he has made on the floors below - but this time by making a viewing slot running the length of the house that starts off as a picture window in the garden room, then continues as an open framework. And the view it frames is - depending on which way your eye swivels - either the church or the river. You can quite imagine a Boat Race party getting together with the champagne and binoculars up here. And because it's always freezing cold on Boat Race days, there's the garden room to retreat to. All admirably civilized. Afterwards you can watch the highlights on the big screen in the basement.

So this is a house well out of the ordinary and a very rare example of a one-off architect-designed home built specifically for sale from the outset. What I like about it is that you could ignore the busy road outside altogether. You could live there, work from there, grow your garden in pots on the roof, and then walk out along the Thames towpath, muddy though it is. It's a house with an escape route, and those are always beguiling.

Pierre D'Avoine Architects: mail@davoine.net