FAMILY AFFAIR

Holly Dormon and Matt Haswell called on parental expertise to tackle a run-down 1940s house

- MARISHA TAYLOR

Having already completely renovated their previous Victorian house, Holly Dormon and her partner Matt Haswell relished another project, and when a run-down 1940s house came on the market at a very reasonable price it was too good to miss. ‘My dad’s a builder and has always encouraged me to take a few risks,’ says Holly. The couple went to view the property and found it hadn’t been touched for decades, but it had a large footprint and a big back garden to extend into.

‘We took Dad back for a second viewing and he was able to see how we could reconfigure the space and create an open-plan area downstairs and, with a rejig, make the most of the upstairs,’ says Holly. ‘With Dad’s seal of approval, we put in an offer and placed our house on the market. It was only a week before Christmas and everyone thought we were mad, but we couldn’t let the house go!’