Charming addition

When this Grade II-listed farmhouse came on the market for the second time during their search, the Richards family found it impossible to resist

-  Vivienne Ayers

HOMEOWNERS Lauren and Charlie Richards

LOCATION Herefordshire

PROJECT Oak frame extension to a 17th-century farmhouse

When Lauren and Charlie Richards first saw the sale details of their 17th-century farmhouse, the epic scale of the renovation required dampened their enthusiasm. The couple were looking for a family property after the birth of their second daughter, Evie. But although the location of the house close to the picturesque market town of Ludlow was ideal, the project was too big a challenge for them to take on.

“When the farmhouse first came on the market we didn’t even view it because it needed so much work,” says Lauren. Opting to rent while they remained active with their search paid off beautifully, though, when the listed house came back on the market newly renovated.

“The new owners’ circumstances had changed, so it became available at just the right time for us. We loved it — we had looked at every property as soon as it came on the market and had exhausted all the options, so we jumped to buy it, moving in in 2009,” she adds.