Cantilevered elegantly over the dark and foamy waters of the River Ysgir is Ty Hedfan (Welsh for ‘hovering house’). This bespoke and highly site-specific house is the brainchild of architects Sarah Featherstone and Jeremy Young, founders of Featherstone Young who fashioned this five-bedroom house for themselves and are now bringing it to market for the first time.

If the articulated wings and masterful medley of local materials seem familiar, it’s likely you’ve spotted Ty Hedfan before. It featured on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces and received multiple prestigious awards when it first took flight in 2011. Since then, it has served as a uniquely uplifting retreat, truly ensconced in its site in the Brecon Beacons.

There are architect-designed houses, sure, but few can lay claim to being designed by the architect son of modernist titan Ernő Goldfinger. Church Farm Lodge can – and it shows. A considered, modernist-inspired approach reigns, most evident in the interior’s natural materials and unfaltering visual connections with the outdoors.

The house in its current iteration has been transformed with a clear concern for laid-back, contemporary and environmentally mindful living. Exceptionally spacious, the house (once a series of agricultural buildings) was extended in 2002, when a two-bedroom annexe was added. Its layout is at once brilliantly unique yet utterly intuitive – a design that leaves plenty of room to grow for residents yet to come.

As its name suggests, this spectacular seven-bedroom house designed (and lived in) by Allan Joyce is firmly rooted in its generous grounds. Not only is it surrounded by nature, but clever landscaping gives the appearance of the building having been reclaimed by its environment: a herb garden has been planted on its flat roof, while the perimeter is bounded by borders of herbaceous perennials.

Multilayered floating mezzanines imbue the house with a deliberate playfulness. Taking an inverted layout, the house’s living spaces unfold across the ground-floor level to make the most of its copious amount of glazing. Joviality is balanced with serious business, though: a rigorous approach to environmental performance makes this a home that performs as impressively as it looks.

Located in the heart of leafy Repton Park, Sutherland House is almost entirely hidden from view. Its original architect, G.T. Hine, designed the building as a purpose-built hospital, its verdant surroundings acting as a restorative backdrop. This apartment’s second architect (and current owner) has reimagined the space entirely, utilising its tall, Victorian proportions to create an atrium that houses a sculptural spiral staircase.

Other recent additions include the introduction of rich materials, high-quality fittings and joinery. Perhaps of a lesser visual appeal (but no small feat) are the architect’s efforts to improve the apartment’s eco credentials. Given Sutherland House’s Grade II-listed status, its B-grade Environmental Performance Certificate is particularly impressive and was achieved through mindful interventions including a new boiler, double glazing and added thermal insulation.