THE STORY

Owners Sarah and Guy Bowden (pictured) live here. They are both retired. Guy was a social worker and trainer, and Sarah was a freelance PA. They have a black Labrador called Mopsi Property A 200-year-old cottage in Monmouthshire. It is thought that the building was originally used as a rural shelter rather than a permanent dwelling

What they did Carried out a major renovation of the original cottage, including replacing the roof. They added two oak-frame extensions on either side of the period cottage to create an open-plan living-kitchen-dining space with vaulted ceiling, and a smaller extension for a music room to replace an old lean-to

earching for the perfect spot for their retirement home, Guy Bowden and his wife Sarah started in the heart of the Monmouthshire countryside. They were looking for somewhere to build a new oakframe home. What they ended up buying was an old cottage severely lacking in wow factor. ‘We wanted a plot with a view. This has a limited view, isn’t a plot and came with five acres that we didn’t know what to do with!’ says Sarah. ‘The cottage was the second place we saw: it was small and very orange and was in such a poor state of repair that the estate agent suggested we could demolish the house and start again.’

The couple continued their search in the area for a smaller site for a self-build, but each time they were drawn back to the land and the cottage. ‘We viewed the site six times before even looking inside the house. We tried to talk ourselves out of it, but fell in love with the location. There are no neighbours so it’s peaceful and quiet,’ says Sarah.

Finally, after five months, the Bowdens bought the property, planning to knock down the unlisted cottage and replace it with their dream home. However, after getting in touch with a planning consultant before completing on the sale, it became clear that this would prove a challenge. ‘He said we could probably apply to replace it, but we’d have a fight on our hands and it might take a couple of years,’ explains Sarah. ‘We’re not very good at arguing so we decided to work with what we had!’

Although the Bowdens wanted to keep the traditional cottage aesthetic, the whole property was in dire need of renovation. The house had an old lean-to pigsty that was being used as a store, a very dark kitchen and a poky ground-floor bathroom at the back. Local planning restrictions limit the volume of extensions; new additions can be no larger than 30 per cent of the volume of the original house. The planning development officer advised against the couple’s initial ideas for an L-shaped extension as it was felt it would obstruct the existing building. So the Bowdens designed a solution whereby the small lean-to would provide the footprint for a new music room, while a new extension, set slightly back, on the opposite side would include the living room and dining space. The kitchen was also repositioned next to the new dining area, with a new utility and larger bathroom planned to sit in its place.

Still keen to build in oak, Guy and Sarah spoke to a few oak-frame specialists and were impressed by Welsh Oak Frame’s design flexibility. ‘They were happy to include softwood where oak wasn’t necessary to work within our budget. We love the homely feel oak gives but now we have the best of both worlds,’ says Sarah. Emyr Davis, design director for Welsh Oak Frame, was on hand to help develop the Bowdens’ designs.

‘By the time we started talking to Emyr, the planning consultant and local planning officer had given us a clear idea of what we could and couldn’t do. The design had to be done in a certain way,’ Sarah explains. ‘In the first design, Welsh Oak Frame showed us the living room and music room with oak purlins that run from one end to another and the ridge in oak, but the rafters were going to be softwood and not visible,’ she adds. ‘The fact that they were so mindful of our budget from the start meant we could push a bit, and change the softwood to exposed oak rafters, which was terrific. They always made us feel it was our house, not their design.’ Once planning for the new extensions was approved, Sarah and Guy rented a house nearby so they could be on site every day.

They hired local builder Chris Jenkins to manage and carry out tasks such as laying the foundations for the new extensions, and renovating the cottage. Welsh Oak Frame erected the oak frame and structural insulated panel (SIPS) extensions. The company also replaced the old, ill-equipped roof; the vaulted oak design gives the illusion of extra space in the bedrooms.

‘It’s my favourite feature,’ says Sarah . ‘We thought the oak roof would come as a kit, but

Welsh Oak Frame was careful to build it piece by piece because the walls weren’t completely straight. The entire roof was bespoke and it meant it fitted perfectly — the team was great!’

Internal walls were removed during the works in order to create a more cohesive layout. The rear conservatory and front porch were demolished, and the rotten floor joists replaced.

‘At one point we were down to just three-anda-half walls and no roof, windows, doors or floor,’ remembers Sarah. Retaining the charm of the original building was important too. While digging the foundations for the living room extension, builder Chris saved the stone and used it to face the new doorway between the kitchen and music room. He also ensured there were no sharp finishes, with the new window reveals rounded to create a traditional look.

‘The oak-frame extensions look integral to the house and it feels comfortable, cosy, lovely and warm,’ concludes Sarah. ‘The house is absolutely gorgeous, it’s exactly how we wanted it to be and it’s lovely to live in.’

With full-height glazing to make the most of the garden views, the new living space is light, bright and cosy. Sarah and Guy have kept to similar fabrics and colours throughout, using warm shades with a cottagey feel. The sofa was bought at Arthur Llewellyn Jenkins many years ago, but has been re-covered. The rug is from Ikea

The cosiest spot in the house, in full sun and near the Charlton & Jenrick woodburner, is reserved for Labrador Mopsi. For a similar dog basket, try Prestige Wicker. Used here for storage, the pine chest was a local find, from Pinewood Studios; the rustic lamp on top is from Original House. Sarah rescued the dresser from a neighbour who was getting rid of it, and the log basket (just seen) is from Warehouse 701. The pendant light is from Branching Out Antiques and the Super Sisalo checked rug is from The Rug Seller