Victorian Remodel

Lucy Kemp and partner Ed Nash spent six years living across the street from their ‘forever home’, so when it came on the market the couple were willing to take on the extensive renovation work required to bring it back to its former glory

W hen Kemp her Ed partner Nash Lucy and moved house in into Harborne, their two-bed a suburb of Birmingham, they looked longingly at the Victorian townhouses across the street. Despite never setting foot in it, Lucy and Ed would frequently joke that they would one day make the big move across the street and into the townhouse that sat directly across from them. a rian three-storey, The property house in that six-bed question had Victo- been was left unloved for years. When both that house, and the property next door, came on the market, the couple knew they had to make an offer. “We went and had a look, and on first inspection we were excited, but then we started to notice the problems: it was clear the house hadn’t been touched for decades — the front bay window was skewiff and the roof needed redoing. But we got as many surveys as we could and 100 per cent knew what we were getting ourselves into. It sounds silly, but we knew it was our future house that was for sale,” says Lucy. The house was sold under a sealed bid process, which was the coming couple made to more could view stressful see the people house as from their front room. “We knew there had been quite a lot of interest, but trying to estimate its value was tricky. Finding a price that didn’t stretch us, but still meant we got it and could afford all the work that was needed was tough,” Lucy admits. September until could The Their house, August finally offer 2015, and pick was 2017 the but up accepted that one the it wasn’t keys. next they in to another it, which couple, was were bought mired by in a tricky legal situation that required the Court of Protection to unpick the late owner’s estate, which had passed into the hands of her seriously ill sister. It meant that Lucy and Ed were in the dark about whether the sale could be completed. the organised Undeterred, opportunity as possible. the to pair get Ed, used as a budding designer who works in the glazing trade, assumed project management duties and created initial drawings that he took to an architect and structural engineer to perfect. He also created a schedule and cost plan for the work. Lucy and Ed also made friends had bought with the the couple house next who door. They had just finished a large renovation project and were planning on doing the same on their new house. They had plenty of valuable knowledge about local builders and so the two couples were able to coordinate their schedules so that jobs, such as scaffolding and the roof repairs, could be done at the same time. “It was frustrating at the time, but the two-year delay has been a godsend. Mentally, financially and physically we prepared for what was to come,” Lucy says. There were issues with their mortgage, too. The offers changed during the delay, with one coming with a 100 per cent retention rate attached. The couple were able to reduce that figure by walking through the property with the valuer and detailing their plans. However, they were tasked with replacing the roof, solving the damp and fixing the electrics within six months — something they are anxiously waiting on the mortgage company to sign off on. As soon as they took ownership, work progressed smoothly and swiftly, in no small part thanks to the pair’s detailed planning. “Because we were able to spend those two years planning and working closely with the builders, they knew what was coming, what order things had to be done in and when they had to block out the time, so we haven’t had any problems. We got the trades all lined up in the right order, so there have been no hold-ups,” Lucy says. “For the first month we shared builders with our neighbours. We had a team of guys who did the strip out, and they worked across both houses. Then we’ve worked top to bottom, sorting the master suite in the attic space first and working down from there. It used to be a house of multiple occupancy, so there were strange layouts to solve — there was previously a kitchen in what is now our master suite on the top floor!”

“The two-year delay has been a godsend — mentally, financially and physically we got prepared”

there discoveries had as always builders Despite the been were new part have stripped. the still roof, after of had foreplanning, the unexpected which the to plan, As replace house well was the every wall, a rear as floor well extension, joist as knock and internal which down contained room and a kitchen, bedroom, when bath- it was found to be structurally unsound. “Losing the back of the house was disappointing,” Lucy says. “We had hoped to be able to repair it, but the builders knew it needed to come down as soon as they saw were disheartening.” the far too foundations, shallow. That which was Work has begun, ahead of schedule, on the replacement extension that will include a large kitchen diner area and a snug — again, this has been in consultation with their neighbours’ plans, resulting in two extensions that will match in length and height. The couple have kept the design traditional in the rooms at the front of the property, but want the house to feel more contemporary the further into the floorplan you go. Key to this is the new mastersuite in the loft and the new open plan space at the rear. Amazingly, despite the unexpected extra work, the project has remained within budget. “We knew it was going to be a big project, but we have never found it too daunting,” concludes Lucy. “We had such a clear vision of what we wanted to do and we both focused on that. We just knew every problem could be overcome.”

You can follow the progress of this project on the couple’s Instagram account: @victoria_road_restoration