Eye for Potential

Gem Beeston and her partner Dougie Perry are serial renovators despite their tender years — their latest project, however, could be a family home for some time

Self-building and renovating must run in Gem Beeston’s blood. At just 30 she is already on her 12th project — and for the last two years has been working as a renovator and interior designer full-time. It is, she says, no doubt the result of a childhood spent on building sites courtesy of professional renovator parents.

This project, a major renovation of a 160-year-old end terrace in the Cheshire village of Mobberley, will create a new family home for Gem, partner Dougie and their puppy Noah. It was Gem who saw the two-bed property first, and immediately put a bid in, before Dougie had seen it: “It just popped up — we weren’t even really looking,” says Gem. “But I saw the potential it had to be extended and that there was the opportunity to gut it and start again.”

Gem has increased the footprint by 48m2 by adding a single-storey rear extension, a separate double-storey extension and a loft conversion.

Getting such an ambitious project through planning was always going to be an ordeal, especially as the house is in a conservation area. A number of objections from neighbours also slowed the process down.

The designs were amended: the proposed dormers on the first floor and in the new loft were out, while double-glazed wooden windows to match the street scene were in. Permission was granted before Christmas, some seven months after the couple had bought the house.

Gem, Dougie and Noah initially moved in, and used the time to meticulously measure and plan the renovation work.

Gem chose to project manage, but unlike previous projects where she would hire in the trades herself, she opted to employ a main contractor to coordinate this tricky build. “I had about eight or nine builders round; a couple of them didn’t want to do it because it was quite complicated, while I didn’t get a good feeling from some of the others,” she says. “Having a good relationship with your builder is the most important thing. The whole project is reliant on your relationship with them. You need to be able to talk to them without feeling like you’re being an annoyance.”

Through friends, Gem was introduced to Martin Bowker (EMB Construction), an extensions specialist. Since starting on this project, he has begun working with Gem on three of her other professional

jobs, too: “It’s been the start of a partnership,” she says.

But, as with any extension project, before the addition comes the subtraction, and Gem’s plans were particularly comprehensive: “At one point we only had the side wall and the front wall still standing.”

The rebuild has seen some much needed insulation added to the ceilings and walls (some of which were single skin), while a new concrete slab has gone in on the ground floor — in addition to double glazing throughout.

Even for a relative veteran of renovating, the project has thrown up issues, including a flying freehold issue with a neighbour that resulted in contractor Martin having to prop up part of the neighbour’s house and rebuilding a single-skin wall between the two houses. “That was unexpected,” Gem laughs, “but every day is a school day!”

Five months into the sixmonth project, Gem and Dougie are looking forward to getting out of the caravan (which is actually on the building site of Gem’s parent’s barn conversion) and into their new home roughly on time — and roughly on budget.

Sarah Drew is modernising a stone cottage in Wales – her first major renovation project – at 65; the project is throwing up plenty of challenges

I’m currently trying to keep cool, calm and collected as the stonemason and his team uncover more irksome stuff underneath the existing cement mortar rendering. This is in addition to revealing a completely worm-eaten wooden lintel over the front door which in turn has caused the one under the bedroom window to crack. Sigh. More money.

The kitchen, by contrast, has turned out to be very grownup looking, with new countertops and a bit of rejigging of the cabinets; it looks just like the ones you see in magazines! The downside was discovering pristine ceramic tiles under the old lino that don’t reach all the way across the kitchen floor (far right). Who thought that was a good idea? Now I’m stuck with making good and matching using only craft paper, varnish and ingenuity.

My best result to date? Bartering with a roofer (espied working on a neighbour’s house) to remove the old TV aerial and a buddleia from my chimney stack, and make good all cracks and holes in the render to prevent regrowth. This was agreed for the princely sum of £75.