A lesson in love
Vision and determination combined to transform a dilapidated bungalow into a family home that’s finally won the heart of its owner
HOME PROFILE
WHO LIVES HERE
Physiotherapist Kate Baker, 34, her businessman husband Richard, also 34, and their daughters Annie, four, and Florence, two
THE PROPERTY
A 1960s bungalow in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, which they bought for £385,000 in 2014. Work began two months later and the family moved in in May 2015. They created a three-bed, two-bathroom house with open-plan kitchen, dining room and living area, a separate snug, playroom and utility room, and two bedrooms upstairs. The build cost £113,100 and the property is now worth about £585,000
The moment Kate Baker walked in through the door of the dated 1960s bungalow that was up for sale, she knew instantly this was not where she wanted to live. ‘My husband Richard persuaded me to come and view it and “No way do I ever want to buy this!” was my first thought,’ she says. ‘It had a dingy, narrow hallway, dark wooden panelling throughout and a staircase that was so narrow and steep it looked positively dangerous. I was heavily pregnant and had an active toddler, and the last thing I needed was a renovation project of that scale. But Richard persuaded me we should make a sealed bid. When the phone call came weeks later to say the house was ours, my heart sank. We’d bought a home I didn’t want at all.’
The couple sold their existing home and moved in with Kate’s parents who lived near the new house so she could oversee renovations. By now their family had expanded with the arrival of baby Florence. ‘I’d turn up each day on the muddy building site with Florence in a harness, and think “What on earth are we doing?”’ says Kate. ‘One day, I arrived to find the entire back of the house open to the elements and felt totally overwhelmed. I thought the work would never end.’
But gradually and meticulously, liaising closely with a local architect, the couple put their dreams into practice. ‘Planning permission for new dormer windows on the first floor extension was granted smoothly within seven weeks, and other changes – such as extending the front of the house forward by three metres to create a stylish entrance hall – were undertaken within permitted development,’ explains Kate.
Builders stripped out the dated wooden cladding and carpets in December. In January interior walls were taken down and the old windows at the back replaced with two large bifold doors. ‘Richard wanted an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, with the original window replaced with bifold doors to give us a real connection with the outside,’ says Kate.
‘We chose an orangery-style skylight to enable light to flood into the open-plan living room and breathe fresh life into the house.’ The small kitchen was turned into a snug room for the winter, and the downstairs bedroom and separate bathroom became a guest bedroom with ensuite bathroom and two sinks. A separate utility room and family toilet were also created and the old dining room was converted into a playroom for the girls.
But it was when the steep stairs were replaced with a new oak staircase that Kate felt the house was taking shape and she began to warm to her home. ‘Until then we’d been climbing up to the first floor via a ladder. Walking up those new stairs felt really symbolic. With each step I took, I realised just how far we’d come.’
Upstairs the two small bedrooms and tiny bathroom were extended, with new dormer windows adding light and space. A main bedroom and dressing area were created, and a family bathroom and a second bedroom for Florence. In the kitchen, the couple chose bespoke units. ‘It sounds extravagant, but when we’d done our sums we saw it cost almost the same as a flatpack option from a DIY centre,’ says Kate.
‘I studied the finances every night because money was flying out of our account. Unexpected costs appeared – like repairing the existing flat roof. But because I was on maternity leave I could visit the site each day which was key to it all running smoothly.
‘Then several months into our renovation, I walked in to see my new kitchen in situ with light flooding in from the new skylight and bifold doors, and my heart leapt. I thought “Wow”! And that’s when I finally fell in love with my extraordinary new home.’
Kate and Richard won £2,500 of DFS furniture as well as £100 of Burleighware and afternoon tea at Highgrove House, where they toured Prince Charles’s famous garden. They were joined by the runners-up in the Modern Home category, and the winners and runners-up in the Period Home category. Joining HB editor Julia Goodwin on the judging panel were Federation of Master Builders chief executive Brian Berry, Rosie Fraser from the Prince’s Regeneration Trust and Claire Rushton from DFS