‘I breathed new life into a neglected house’
Ali James and her husband, Gary, took on an unfinished renovation project and completed the work themselves, adding a vintage flourish with upcycled finds
When Ali James and her husband, Gary, moved into their Victorian cottage, it was a far cry from how it is today: walls were painted a dreary magnolia, orange carpet in every room, cracking render and poorly laid tiles. ‘The interior of the house was really quite dated, but we needed somewhere that was big enough for us and our six children. At the time, there was very little on the market, and the potential of this property was incredibly appealing,’ says Ali.
Despite the couple’s tight budget, they were able to transform the house – turning it from a tired cottage, with an unusual warren of tiny rooms, into a spacious family home. ‘Gary’s expertise in property maintenance has definitely helped: he built the decked area in the garden, re-laid wonky terracotta tiles in the kitchen and chipped off the
flaking plaster in preparation for rendering. We’ve invested a great deal of time here: when I’m not at work, you’ll often find me, paintbrush in hand, upcycling furniture or updating a colour scheme,’ says Ali.
COMFORT RESTORED
The project was not without its challenges. There was an unfinished extension, which was quite off-putting to lots of buyers: when Ali and Gary viewed the property, part of the house could only be accessed by climbing through the living room window. The cottage was originally heated by a temperamental stove and the family lived for several months with no central heating. ‘For a while, the only warmth was from the log burner in the snug, and our electric blankets,’ says Ali, who juggled the renovation
Ali’s talent for finding vintage gems means every corner is filled with eclectic treasures, from cricket bats to blue patterned china
‘I’ll scour the internet and charity shops for pretty bits and pieces. I love anything that’s a bit rusty and unloved’