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THE OWNERS

Jason Orme, managing director for Real Homes, his wife Sarah, a teacher, and their children Joel, 10, and Martha, seven

THE PROPERTY

A three-bedroom detached 1960s house in Staffordshire

project COST £200,000

bought with the view of transforming it into a family home. Taking a tour of it now, you can tell the hard work has paid off. It’s light, bright and spacious, with the open-plan kitchendining-living area of dreams. Architectural features, like the slatted staircase and the floor-to-ceiling window in the stairwell, give away the family’s love of design. That’s not to say this house isn’t homely, too: rich colours and materials, like the muted blue of the master bedroom and the cabineffect panelling in the downstairs bathroom, add character. Jason’s been writing about and advising on building and renovating homes for years, and as managing director for several magazines, including this one, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share some of his wisdom with you.

You’ve been writing about renovations for years, so you obviously knew what you were looking for in a house. What were your key requirements?

We knew this would be the most important house we’d ever own because it’s where the kids would grow up, so we were choosing for the location as much as the house itself. We bought a lifestyle, to an extent. There’s a sense of security here – this area is more rural and peaceful than the cities and towns I’ve lived in before. Nothing changes more quickly than kids – their needs between the ages of five and 15 are worlds apart – so the property needed to have flexibility as well.

What drew you to this particular house, and what were your first thoughts when you saw it?

‘What on earth is it?’ [Laughs] We’d scanned past it on Rightmove before, but when we looked at it more closely, we could see something there. It was ugly, but we liked the long and low horizontal shape of the build. It takes the rather tired property mantra, ‘You can’t change the location but you can change everything else’ to heart. Ultimately, we bought it for the lovely views front and back, its position, the village, the local schools, the nearby pub and all the rest of it.

A lot of people decide to live in their new home for a while before they start work. How long did it take you to get underway with the project?

We decided to settle in and see what the house felt like first, so for 18 months we lived there miserably, eyeing up the potential changes we could make. We put up with a few infestations and the embarrassing decorating choices of previous owners, but slowly we got to know the house. There were a few key issues: poor energy efficiency and build quality, and the classic old-house problem of lots of rooms coupled with a very weird layout by today’s standards. The house was big enough but it didn’t work very well.

Talk me through the plan of action – what was it you wanted to achieve with the renovation?

We haven’t actually extended the house significantly, we added around 50 square metres, but by opening up the internal layout, it feels much bigger. We wanted to add some much-needed kerb appeal, lots of light and a sense of flow, as well as making the most of the horizontal shape by creating views through the house to the outdoors. Our designer, Pete Tonks, came up with a scheme that got us excited, including a glass and timber tower for the front of the house. Planning was straightforward, despite being in a Conservation Area. It used natural materials and was clearly an improvement on what was there before, so it went through in eight weeks.

How important was sustainability to you? I imagine it took some work to make the house energy efficient… It was important in that we believe in it, but it was also practical. It’s a relatively big house in the countryside with no mains gas, which means a high energy bill – so, frankly, minimising running costs was a big drive. We made it more energy efficient by improving insulation and adding triple glazing. Where possible, we felt the materials we used should feel sustainable and be naturally suited to the house. If we were only planning to live here for the next two years, rather than the next 20, we might not have invested in it as much – but it felt like the right thing to do for the house and for us.

What advice would you give to others who are getting ready to embark on a big build?

The importance of a good team. We met and worked with so many great people on the house. I can’t say there was any science to it – one good tradesperson begat another – but we just went on instinct. Our builder, Ben, made the house so much better than it would have been, because he did what you want your builder to do: suck up stress and solve problems. I’d also say that if you’re buying a house, make sure it gives you flexibility to grow. They’re living things, houses, and you’ll find more things to adapt as you grow and your attitude changes.

Okay, last question – but it’s a hard one. What would you say is your favourite part of the house?

I think it’s the kitchen. Without wishing to delve into cliché, it’s the part of the house that we gather in and where we have the most laughs as a family. Thanks to the remodel, we have views out of the back, front and side. Sometimes it feels a bit like open warfare in terms of noise levels, but we have other spaces to retreat to for quiet time. We love all aspects of the house, but the kitchen is what we wanted to achieve from the start – and I think it’s been successful.

Left, above and below

‘I never really liked gloss kitchens, so we wanted to bring a bit of country style to ours,’ says Jason. ‘The design ethos of the house was a sort of country feel – organic, natural, but modern – so having Shaker-style units painted a deep blue seemed to fit that really well.’

Kitchen, Benchmarx. Worktop, Apollo. Wall lights, Pooky. Pendant lights, My Furniture. Grey porcelain flooring, Tile Choice. Splashback tiles, Topps Tiles. Appliances, AEG. Bar stools and Magistrelli dining chairs, Ebay. Dining table, Ikea. Bookshelves, West Elm

Below Jason created the timber cladding in the downstairs cloakroom using DIY merchant-bought timber boards. ‘One of the dangers was that the house could feel too all-white,’ he says. ‘Using colour and rich woods makes the space feel more liveable.’

Pendant, Pooky. Flooring, Tile Choice. Sanitaryware, Better Bathrooms

Top and right Jason and Sarah’s hallway gives away their love of design. The staircase takes centre stage, set in the ‘crazy-butgenius’ glass and timber structure the couple had integrated into their design. A cosy corner tucked away behind it makes the perfect reading nook.

Staircase, Central Joinery. Armchair, Parker Knoll

‘We took a balanced approach to the interiors,’ says Jason. ‘I like simple, contemporary spaces – nothing too overly ornate, cluttered or fancy – but I don’t like the clinical feel you sometimes get in modern properties. Mid-century modern was a happy hunting ground.’

Aga.

John Lewis & Partners. Made.

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