House reunited
Turning a property that had been student accommodation into a single home meant stripping it back to the brickwork
An old student house has become a family home again
Emma Stanton and her partner Simon Logan have created a family home from a divided, run-down house that even seasoned property developers might have baulked at. ‘Looking back, ignorance was probably bliss!’ says Emma. With growing children and Emma’s burgeoning business as a jewellery designer to accommodate, the family’s Victorian terrace in Brighton was becoming a squeeze. ‘The property market here is competitive, so to get close to the sea and gain more space, we were going to have to be smart. Rather than wait for properties to become available, we started direct marketing and sent letters to dozens of homeowners with houses we thought would suit our plans,’ Emma explains.
One in particular caught their attention but for all the wrong reasons. ‘We didn’t want to be lumbered with extensive renovation work so although the house was in the perfect location – close to the sea, schools and amenities – it looked like too much to take on and at first we dismissed it,’ recalls Emma. ‘But the owner’s neighbour knew we were househunting and encouraged her to contact us. She had great charisma and we got on really well. Despite our misgivings, we bought the property!’
The couple were faced with the prospect of months of hard work. ‘The house had been let out as student accommodation and even the kitchen had been subdivided. It needed to be taken back to the brickwork and completely renovated,’ recalls Emma, who was expecting baby number two by the time the sale completed in August 2004. The
first phase of a three-stage renovation involved fitting new flooring and ceilings, rewiring, installing new plumbing and replastering. ‘The bathroom and kitchen were replaced with budget units because we planned to extend the kitchen at a later date,’ explains Emma. She project managed the work but with the baby’s due date looming the whole process was a challenge. ‘Keeping the costs to a minimum, we lived in one bedroom from October to January, using the bathroom for washing ourselves and the crockery! Nancy was born just a couple of weeks after we’d completed phase one.’
Two years later the loft was converted into Emma and Simon’s bedroom and ensuite, while the third phase was an extension across the back of the house taking in the side return. ‘We knocked the kitchen and dining room into one to create our open-plan dream. Again we were working to a deadline as we were hosting part of the Brighton Open House Artists’ Festival. We just about made it but the plaster was still wet when the festival opened!’ laughs Emma.
‘There are only a couple things we’d change. Underfloor heating would have been great throughout downstairs rather than just in the kitchen. Also building regulations limited the size of our loft conversion so storage is tight. But I’m glad we persevered as we now have a home where we can, quite literally, work, rest and play.’ HB
l Visit emmastantonjewellery.co.uk to see Emma’s designs
‘We have a home where we can, quite literally, work, rest and play,’
SAYS EMMA