We gave our chalet bungalow New England style’
Sophie and Matthew Wiltshire updated a Seventies property, adding lots of space and giving it a modern face-lift
When Sophie and Matthew Wiltshire wanted to move from London to Surrey four years ago, they took a chance on a run-down house. ‘Weybridge was really different, but it’s so nice around here, hardly anyone leaves,’ says Sophie. ‘When we first saw the house, I walked down the stairs and it felt like I’d come home.’
MAKING PLANS It was a property they could grow into and the family lived there for more than two and a half years before they decided to start work on it. The upstairs space had become inadequate, with the main bedroom particularly tight. The front door was at the side of the house, which the couple disliked, and the old conservatory tacked onto the poky kitchen was freezing in winter and stuffy in summer. They took their ideas to an architect, who did technical drawings and enlisted the help of a builder recommended to them by friends.
THE NEW SPACE The conservatory was removed and replaced with a two-storey extension to create space for a kitchen-diner, utility room and living areas. ‘We also have space in the loft for another bedroom,’ Sophie says. The project took just six months. ‘We were so lucky to find a house eight doors away to rent during the work, but when we returned, the house had been transformed. I love the look of the timber cladding – it’s exactly what I wanted. And, with the river at the end of the garden, it feels like we live in the country, even though it’s a town.’