Ask and you shall receive . . . 'Star- Trek'-style doors

ANYONE WHO has ever been involved in the sometimes arduous process of a house build or renovation will be familiar with that feeling of dread at the prospect of presenting the architect with yet another special request.

However, a UK list of the 10 Most Unusual Requests made by homeowners to architects puts all those petty indulgences in the ha’penny place.

What about a bedroom concealed behind moveable library shelving on a pivot door? Or an underground passage in the style of historic love tunnels linking opposite sides of a house? A pet grooming room anyone?

These were the responses compiled by Shelter and the Royal Institute of British Architects as part of their Architect in the House initiative under which local architects advise homeowners about design ideas in their homes in return for a donation to Shelter.

Other unusual requests included a house made with straw bale walls; sliding Star Trek-style doors; a giant fish tank in the centre of a bathroom; and an underground passageway linking an office building to a nearby house. Makes you feel a bit better about that hissy fit over the poorly installed cat flap.