House renovation: Location, location, location...

I know Phil and Kirsty have coined that phrase, but it really is true. You can buy the most beautiful house, but if the location isn’t right for your lifestyle then the polish soon wears off.

So, what do you do when you’ve set your heart on a chocolate box village with a decent local school and a commutable station, but everyone else got in there five years earlier and bought all the lovely houses when once upon a time they were affordable? Well, you buy the ugliest house in the village.

The house when we first bought it.

I learnt first hand that if you’ve your set sights on a location you really do have to adapt your dreams and think outside the box. In my case that village was Chiddingfold, Surrey. It’s where I grew up, where I still have family and it also has a commutable station. So, when agents were trying to show me houses in nearby towns and villages I had to put them right - it was Chiddingfold or nowhere.

This is when my sister (fellow Dove House partner and Chiddingfold resident, Katie) said I should take a look at a 1960s detached house that had been on the market for months. My husband wrinkled his nose – not the rose clad cottage he’d envisaged - but I thought what the heck. We had enough experience to know that if the location was right, then forget how it looks.

So, we viewed the house, saw that it really was truly hideous (it was a new build in 1969 and hadn’t been touched internally or externally since), but it was on a generous plot with ample parking and well within budget. We put in our offer and the rest is history…

I knew when we bought it that it wasn’t just important for us to change the inside – that was a given – but we had to change the outside too.

The basics of the house were sound, and it was a nice house shape, the kind a kid might draw! But the mock shutters, ugly windows, concrete tiles and render that looked like lumpy porridge left little to be desired.

When we set about changing the façade we were not looking to do anything architecturally adventurous – we wanted to make the house as much in keeping with the local style as possible. The house was set on a road predominantly made up of period housing, so changing its appearance was suitable for the immediate surroundings. Our aim was to soften the house and get a cottage look. So how did we turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse?...

Windows

One of the key elements to any house are the windows – they are the eyes – but they are frequently what let a house down. The choice of windows is one of the most important decisions with any house renovation - and one of the most expensive. Keen to emulate a more traditional look, we decided on timber frame casement windows and on some we slightly narrowed and dropped the openings as seen with period tile hung houses in the area. We chose David Salisbury windows – which are beautiful - as they were made to order and could fit the openings.

Windows in, render off!

Tile hanging

We spent many days agonising over what to do about our tile hung external walls. I travelled around to many suppliers to source the perfect tile and we settled on a Sussex Heritage red clay tile. Unfortunately, we were away when they were hung and when we returned my husband and I both reluctantly admitted we hated the colour. On closer inspection we realised the wrong tiles had been sent and the whole lot had to come down. Everyone hated us for not just going with it – but when you’re doing any renovation detail is everything - so you really have to get used to upsetting people and making consolatory bacon sandwiches (and sometimes accepting you’ve lost £2,000).

Tile detail and the ugly brick!

When sourcing tiles I also bought the ornamental club tiles so that a traditional pattern could be replicated, which provided a softer look. We got the roofer to take the tiles lower than they were previously and kick them out in style with traditional tile hung houses.

Painted bricks

The builders were keen to re-render and said that the brick underneath would be too ugly to paint. I disagreed and decided to give it a go. If it failed then I’d have to turn to smooth render. Anyway, I was right and they were wrong! The porridge render was chipped off and the brick underneath was painted – it looked fantastic (and it was one of the only cheap decisions I made!).

Garage extension

When deciding on our side extension we were keen not to make the house look overbearing and felt that more brick might do this. What’s more, if you look at older houses around you that have been extended, the most charming ones look as if they’ve evolved over time and invariably have variegated materials. As such, we decided to do it in black weather board. It is a material used a lot in the Surrey and West Sussex area and is relatively inexpensive (it is a lot cheaper than brick work and less than unpainted cladding such as larch or oak) and can be easily maintained with black barn paint.

Porch

I drove around taking lots of photos of porches I liked and mocked up a quick drawing for our builder. It’s a really good idea to take photos of detail you like and look at how it may be adapted to work for you. I also find visuals are the best way of communicating what you’re really after when talking with your builder.

As soon as the porch was added I could see that our vision had been realised. It transformed the house into the welcoming and traditional home I hoped it’d be. Prior to the porch going on it still looked a bit one dimensional and boring – the York stone paved step and chunky pillars really brought my home to life.

And the end result...

Ta-da! My home!

Key points to refacing a house

When looking for a housing project where you wish to change the façade there are some key points to bear in mind…

• Surrounding houses. If you buy a house on a road full of 1970s houses, turning yours into a period looking home won’t work – it will jar. This doesn’t mean you cannot reface, but you may want to go for a more modern look.

• You can change your house, but you can’t change the location. Worry more about where you’re buying than what your buying (within reason). The house can be changed, but the surroundings can’t.

• Before you buy check whether you’re in a conservation area and what the planning permissions are. Don’t get stuck with a property where your hands are tied.

• Have a firm idea of what you want BEFORE you meet the architect. Take photos along to your meeting. In my experience you can have a lengthy meeting and be very excited that the architect totally gets you, only to find they draw a picture of a massive symmetrical house, without considering any of the personality and charm you were hoping to achieve.

• Stay in control. Once you have the vision of what you want, be ‘on it’ with the detail. Don’t expect the builders to choose the external materials without viewing them first. It may mean that you have to source materials yourself as invariably builders will have their usual suppliers and trusted product, but this might be incongruous with the look you’re aiming for.

• Beyond architect drawings, get photos of houses and house detail that you’re looking to emulate. This helps when communicating what you’re trying to achieve.

• Make lots of tea and have a variety of biscuits.

• Be nice.