RENOVATION STORY

After reading about Imogen and Tom’s home (left), we wanted to share the story of our own renovation. In 2017, following a family bereavement, we were able to purchase a Grade Ii*-listed cottage (right and below). Dating back to 1650, it had been empty for over two years and was an ex-housing association property. As a result, it needed a lot of TLC to restore its original beauty. We reconfigured the upstairs floorplan, replaced the kitchen, painted over purple walls, opened up and cleaned up the fireplace, and removed a 1980s gas fire – and that was just the start. The wonky timbers meant the bedroom floor was sloped, so our carpenter made stilts for one side of the bed to level it. The work took three months, and we now have a beautiful holiday home, named ‘Charlie’s Cottage’ in honour of the relative who left us the money that made it all possible.

This month’s star letter writer receives a bottle of The Secret Garden Distillery’s Apothecary Rose gin, worth £35.95. Crafted using 100 per cent natural ingredients, the gin combines hints of Turkish delight with brown sugar notes for a delicious G&T