Hidden Treasure

An online search resulted in Louise Edmonds finding a gem of a property in a small village in the Cotswolds, though it wasn’t all plain sailing

- Ann Broad

Charmingly positioned between a duck pond and village church is the cosy Cotswold home of Louise Edmonds. ‘I’d wanted a cottage in the countryside for a long while,’ says Louise. ‘With my children grown up, it seemed the perfect time to start searching. I spotted this place online and thought I should act fast. As soon as I walked through the door, I could see it had potential, and  although it was rundown, dated and damp, it was crying out to be brought back to life.’

With her offer accepted, Louise could not wait to begin. ‘Everything seemed right – the location, the garden and the chance to transform the interior,’ she says. Louise called upon the expertise of her brother-in-law, Ken, who runs a building company. ‘It was a big project and he managed it from start to finish, which was great,’ says Louise  who rented in a nearby village during the