ALL IN GOOD TIME
The lengthy renovation of an Edwardian Nottingham home was worth the fine result
When Helen and Daniel Wallace bought their home in 2006, they’d been living in a two-bedroom property locally with their two-year-old twins, Max and Fraser. ‘I hadn’t worked since they’d been born and budget was an issue, but we needed more room,’ says Helen. The couple went to view this striking period house, which was in good shape structurally and had a big outside space. However, with its faded 1980s decor it was a far cry from a polished family home. ‘We’d never have been able to afford a property this size if it had been done up, so we decided to go for space rather than condition and take our time doing it up,’ explains Helen. The couple tackled the old 1950s bathroom and loo first. ‘It was important that we had a functional bathroom, so we knocked through the adjoining wall and fitted a new suite,’ says Helen. ‘Next, we put in a front door that we found in a reclamation yard and commissioned a stainedglass artist to replicate the glazing on the other doors on our street. It was expensive but made such a difference’. Doing most of the decorating and DIY themselves, Helen and Daniel gradually worked their way through each room replastering, reinstating picture rails, decorating and furnishing. A few years later, they were able to replace the kitchen and change the downstairs layout. ‘We’d have loved to extend with large doors to the garden as I was desperate to get a better connection with the outside,’ explains Helen, ‘but budget wouldn’t allow that, so we
made the most of the space we had. We enlisted the help of local firm, Lanston Developments who worked on a neighbour’s extension.’ Knocking through from the playroom into the kitchen made better use of both areas and completely changed the layout of the kitchen. It also created space for a floor-to-ceiling picture window where the sink had been. ‘It was a great alternative to doors and gave us that link to the outside,’ says Helen. The playroom has evolved with their growing family, which now includes their daughter Heidi, 10. No longer full of toys, the room is now a comfortable snug where the children can have their friends over and the family can watch TV. The dormer on the top floor was recently extended to give Fraser and Max bigger rooms and a shared bathroom. At only two square metres, the bathroom was a bit of a squeeze, but with careful planning the couple managed to fit in the large shower they wanted. ‘It may have taken us a while to get to where we are, but the renovation process has shaped our thinking about our space and how best to live in it,’ says Helen. ‘We now have a beautiful home. Next on the list is to update the family bathroom – we’re back to where we started 14 years ago!’