‘We made an ugly Sixties house look really cool’
Most Sixties properties aren’t exactly famed for their attractive features, so Charlotte and Leigh Bowen developed some simple tricks to make theirs amazing
Taking on a rather ordinary Sixties bungalow in need of TLC, Charlotte and Leigh Bowen were confident they could give it some style. ‘We didn’t buy this place to make a profit, we bought it because we wanted a home here in West Wittering,’ says Charlotte. ‘It’s a special place to us and to my mother, who used to come here year after year on holiday as a child. We wanted that for our children.’
The Bowens bought the property knowing that they wanted to extend into the roof to create two bedrooms and bathrooms, and they went through a year of planning, building and decorating before finally moving in at Christmas 2016. Working together at Leigh’s architectural practice, 50degreesnorth.co.uk, the couple had a head start, but still needed to put in all the research, and find the right team of workmen. ‘We didn’t have a fortune to spend doing up the house, but we wanted to do it properly,’ says Charlotte. ‘The eco credentials of the house were important to both of us, so we’ve insulated it throughout and put down underfloor heating so it’s as energy efficient as possible. We’ve also clad the exterior in Siberian larch, which will weather well, and put in a zinc roof and windows. The house now looks totally different from a Sixties bungalow – the larch cladding on the outside was the key to the transformation.’
Inside, the couple took a commonsense approach, considering their limited budget. ‘We created an inspiration board for each space,’ says Charlotte. ‘We decided our key priorities were high-quality windows, lighting and floor tiles.’ The project’s not over yet, though. ‘We’ve got to tackle turning the garage into an annexe for my parents next,’ explains Charlotte. ‘But we’re so pleased with what we’ve done so far.’