Having lived in this Victorian house for many years, and like many owners of period properties, this couple were frustrated by the apparently endless and ever-growing list of DIY jobs and building maintenance issues they faced. Their dilemma was whether to throw in the towel and sell up, or modernise and improve the property to give it a new lease of life – a real ‘Love It or List It’ scenario. Inspired by various TV shows and home magazines, they decided to extend into the garden and convert their loft, while fixing the many problems – turning this project into a complete top-to- bottom renovation. However, that master plan was unaffordable. The solution was to complete the project in two phases, using the increased value of the house achieved in phase one to re-mortgage and

finance phase two. In the initial phase, we created a master en suite bedroom in the loft space, and completed related refurbishment work on the upper floors. A rear ground-floor extension was the centrepiece of the second stage. Over the course of the project, all plaster, electrics, and plumbing were replaced throughout. Several walls were taken out and re-positioned. New bathrooms, kitchen and roof tiles were installed. The property gained a spacious day room with open-plan kitchen, two additional bedrooms,

and a significant uplift in value. More important, my clients could fall in love with their house again and feel both comfortable and financially secure in their transformed home.

 

Client: Private

New GIA: 112 sqm

Location: Leytonstone

Services Provided: Planning & Building Control Drawings & Construction Production

information

RIBA Stages: 0 - 4