'Our house was a very LUCKY FIND!'

Taking on a 1930s architect-designed property in need of plenty of loving care and a ton of modernisation hasn’t fazed Helen

- STEPHANIE SMITH

Like a lot of people during lockdown, we were looking to live somewhere a little more quiet where the children could grow up in a more spacious environment,’ says Helen. ‘We had sold our house and been searching for over a year when this property came on the market – and it was in a great position right on the edge of some woods. Safe to say that we fell in love with it the moment we walked through the front door and saw the stunning panelling!

We wanted a project and an outside toilet had been on Adrian’s wish list, so that was the deal clincher. We immediately walked down to the estate agent, put our offer in and jumped on a plane to go on holiday. We weren’t the highest offer by a long shot, but we were a local family looking for a long-term family home rather than developers or investors out to make a quick buck and so our offer was accepted. There was plenty of to-ing and fro-ing, but we eventually completed.

Planning changes

Although we love the close proximity to the woods, it was the house that really attracted us. The architects, E & L Berg, built multiple properties, which were described in the original brochure as “two estates of exceptionally fine artistic houses, chosen for their position surrounded by low hills and a beautiful expanse of Surrey countryside”. They don’t come up for sale very often and most of them have had everything original ripped out, which is sad, but we were determined to stay true to the ethos of the houses and preserve anything we could, while making it practical for modern living.