Old MEETS new

AMELIA AND DAMON HAVE EMBRACED OPEN-PLAN LIVING BY REJIGGING THE OUTDATED LAYOUT OF THEIR VICTORIAN SEMI AND ADDING A SEAMLESS REAR EXTENSION

- 

Arranging an off-market deal can be a great way to get the home you want in a heated market, as first-time buyers Amelia and Damon Barrett discovered. 'Period properties always sell super quickly round here, so after we were outbid on another house, our mortgage advisor suggested putting notes through doors on the same street,' says Amelia. 'It was a bit of a waiting game, but four months later the owner of this four-bedroom Victorian semi got in touch. They'd already done a loft conversion, lowering the first floor ceiling to gain more head height, but there was ample scope to knock through the middle lounge, toilet and small kitchen and extend at the rear to create a large kitchen-diner/living area.'

MAKING CHANGES

The couple stayed with Amelia's mum and dad for six months while work began. Builders were lined up for March 2020, but Covid delayed them until July. In the meantime, the pair took inspiration from traditional homes with a modern edge on Instagram and decorated the bedrooms and front living room in neutral, earthy colours.

'Planning permission was already in place, but we tweaked it by moving the kitchen to the middle rather than at the rear,' says Amelia. 'It works better as you're not walking through a second lounge to get to the kitchen. We also added a bigger rooflight and changed a window into double doors.'