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House of the Year 2017 properties revealed – from a cork home on STILTS to a treehouse with its own suspension bridge

These 20 beautiful houses couldn't be more different -yet they're all in the running for the annual prestigious prize awarded to the UK's best newly-designed home

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Published: 20:05, 2 Nov 2017
Updated: 8:43, 3 Nov 2017

FROM a treehouse accessed via bridge, to a beach-front house balancing on stilts; these 20 incredible homes couldn't be more different.

Yet they all have one thing in common - they've all been shortlisted for the House of the Year 2017 award.

This house on stilts above Essex's marshes is one of 20 nominated for House of the Year 2017Credit: RibaArchitecture

Every year, the Royal Institute of Architects offer the prestigious prize to the UK's best newly-designed home.

In the running this year are the London industrial building converted into a stunning family home, the windowless former-garage which is now a bright and airy property, and a treehouse nestling within the Devonshire woods.

Each property will appear within a special four-part series of Channel 4's Grand Designs airing every Tuesday, with the winner announced in the final episode on 28 November.

We take a sneak-peak at the shortlist ahead of the show.

Peacock House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Peacock House sits in the suburbs of Aldeburgh, secluded from the road with hedges and treesCredit: RibaArchitecture

Peacock House has three blocks, comprising of the living spaces, study and a studioCredit: RibaArchitecture

The three blocks all look inwards towards a courtyard complete with water featureCredit: RibaArchitecture

The neutral interior is punctuated with splashes of colour from artworkCredit: RibaArchitecture

Redshank, St Osyth, Essex

Redshank hovers over the reclaimed marshland of the Essex coastCredit: RibaArchitecture

The small, beautifully detailed house deals with the site's considerable challenges in a seemingly effortless wayCredit: RibaArchitecture

Redshank is supported by a steel tripod structure, which conceals all the service connections of power, water and sewageCredit: RibaArchitecture

Internally there are just three rooms, each stunningly decoratedCredit: RIBA

The space is bright and airy, with large windows punctuating the cork wallsCredit: RIBA

At the front of the property is a large wall-to-ceiling window, offering a stunning view out to seaCredit: RIBA

Shawm House, West Woodburn, Northumberland

Shawm House is a stunning new-build sitting on the site of demolished barnCredit: RibaArchitecture

The Northermberland property backs on to an existing single storey barn, which is set to be converted into bedrooms and an officeCredit: RibaArchitecture

The first floor's large open-plan living space is bright and airy and offers magnificent views over the valleyCredit: RibaArchitecture

No 49, Hither Green, London

No 49, Hither Green, adds an edge to a street of otherwise typical Victorian terracesCredit: RIBA Architecture

Inside, the new-build appears to have magic proportions helped by an ingenious use of spaceCredit: RIBA Architecture

The beautifull-decorated property is perfect for a young familyCredit: RIBA Architecture

The Cooperage, Clerkenwell, London

The Cooperage is an industrial building constructed in the early 1900s, and later converted into a residential property in the 1990sCredit: RibaArchitecture

The property has now been revamped to bring the amazing space to its full potentialCredit: RibaArchitecture

A dramatic black staircase is suspended through the middle of the propertyCredit: RibaArchitecture

The architect has made use of the exposed brick walls, while others are clad in shrubberyCredit: RibaArchitecture

Hidden House, Clerkenwell, London

This one storey property sits above Clerkenwell's former prison vaults, and alongside a school buildingCredit: RibaArchitecture

The wooden walls and doors allow for a beautifully minimalist decorCredit: RibaArchitecture

The space's light, open feeling is achieved through the large skylightsCredit: RibaArchitecture

Huge wall-to-ceiling windows also bathe the property in sunlight, while the log fire means the home feels cosyCredit: RibaArchitecture

Whole House, Balham, London

Whole House's designers cleverly turned a traditional garage into a unique and stunning propertyCredit: RibaArchitecture

The home offers clever solutions to problems created with planning regulationsCredit: RibaArchitecture

The property has no external windows, yet s bathed in natural light from an internal courtyardCredit: RibaArchitecture

The minimalist property was constructed on an inexpensive budgetCredit: RibaArchitecture

6 Wood Lane, Highgate, London

The owners of 6 Wood spent seven years carefully crafting their dream home

The unusually curved property is worlds apart from the classic North London homes it sits next toCredit: RIBA Architecture

The quirky interior is light and airy, with bursts of colour - such as this bright study at the top of the homeCredit: RIBA Architecture

Wrap-around spiral staircases join the home's carefully-planned floorsCredit: RIBA Architecture

Highgate House, Highgate, London

Highgate House is a new-build replacing a large Edwardian house on the edge of Highgate woodsCredit: RibaArchitecture

The designer of Highgate House set out toCredit: RibaArchitecture

A huge window dominates the home, offering a view across to Highgate woodsCredit: RibaArchitecture

Cob Corner, Ivybridge, Devon

Cob CornerCredit: RIBA Architecture

The designer of Cob Corner set out to make a home that retained the key elements of the traditional barnCredit: RIBA Architecture

The open-plan space is bright and airy, yet the slim windows punctuating the walls offer privacyCredit: RIBA Architecture

In the main building, the architect retained the beautiful wooden beamsCredit: RIBA Architecture

Hill House, Bath

Hill House sits in a conservation area on the northern slopes of BathCredit: RibaArchitecture

The owners built the modern family home to replace a 1960's bungalowCredit: RibaArchitecture

Skylights flood the three-bed property with sunlightCredit: RibaArchitecture

The Quest, Swanage, Dorset

The Quest offers a incredible open-plan 8m living space within a single-storey homeCredit: RibaArchitecture

The home's huge windows offer fantastic views out across the hills to the south westCredit: RibaArchitecture

Inside, the huge space is neutrally decorated with a tranquil feelCredit: RibaArchitecture

Woodsman's treehouse, Thorncombe, Dorset

This unique property set deep in the Devonshire woodland is accessed via its own suspension bridge

The Woodsman Treehouse is not actually attached to any of the great oaks surrounding it, but is instead supported by stilts

The stunning wooden interior circles a cosy woodburner heating the incredible property

Oxfordshire Residence, Oxfordshire

The Oxfordshire Residence sits within the rolling green hills of its namesake countyCredit: RIBA Architecture

The white home is intended to be 'simple, graceful and elegant'Credit: RIBA Architecture

The mammoth property aimed to create a modern take on the traditional country homeCredit: RIBA Architecture

Inside, the white colour scheme continues in huge, bright roomsCredit: RIBA Architecture

Caring Wood, Maidstone, Kent

Caring Wood's architect set out to redesign the traditional 'English country house' for the 21st centuryCredit: RIBA Architecture

The unusual home comprises four towers which join together under an interlinking roofCredit: RIBA Architecture

Each tower retains a traditional feel with clay tiles and locally quarried stone wallsCredit: RIBA Architecture

The towers of Caring Wood surrounds an internal courtyard with water featureCredit: RIBA Architecture

South Street, Lewes, East Sussex

This modern home sits on the River Ouse, with the magnificent cliffs as a backdropCredit: RibaArchitecture

Inside is simply and tastefully decorated, with much of the furniture made from wood to add to the home's 'natural' feelCredit: RibaArchitecture

South Street's living room has been branded a 'window to the world' and offers amazing views out over the riverCredit: RibaArchitecture

Ness Point, Dover, Kent

Ness Point was designed by the architect to appear as though it has risen from the groundCredit: RibaArchitecture

The home appears to be at one with the iconic White Cliffs of DoverCredit: RibaArchitecture

The property's roof is topped with grass - allowing it to more easily blend into the cliffsCredit: RibaArchitecture

Like each bedroom, the lounge has a balcony where the owners can sit and enjoy a stunning sea viewCredit: RibaArchitecture

Newhouse of Auchengee, Ayrshire

Newhouse of Auchengee is a modern-day property which looks to link the present and the area's traditional farmhousesCredit: RIBA Architecture

The two-storey home clusters around a three-sided courtyardCredit: RIBA Architecture

Large windows mean the space is light and airy while offering stunning views over the Scottish countrysideCredit: RIBA Architecture

Edinburgh Road, Edinburgh

Edinburgh Road offers incredible views out to sea and direct access to the beachCredit: RIBA Architecture

The shore-front home is accessed via a garden courtyardCredit: RIBA Architecture

A huge open-plan kitchen allows the owner stunning views across the Fife and East Lothian coastlinesCredit: RIBA Architecture

Fernaig Cottage, Wester Ross

The owners of Fernaig Cottage have beautifully renovated and adapted a traditional shepherd's cottageCredit: RIBA Architecture

New red roofs echo the historic metal roofing which is commonplace in properties across the HighlandsCredit: RIBA Architecture

With traditional features such as this wood-burner, the owners have tied in the property's history to the present dayCredit: RIBA Architecture

Large windows offer incredible viewers of this remote little corner of ScotlandCredit: RIBA Architecture

Grand Designs' host Kevin McCloud stunned at seeing Chris and Kayo's Roman-inspired home

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