A new direction

In pursuit of a sleek, light-drenched and thoroughly modern home, Sara Mungeam radically remodelled and extended a 1950s house

- RUTH CORBETT

Sara Mungeam had lived in a Victorian property for 22 years and was adamant she would never move to a house that was even remotely modern. 'That was before I spotted a 'for sale' sign outside this pebble-dash, two-up two-down semi, built in the 1950s, that for some reason piqued my interest!' she says.

Many other house-hunters felt similarly, as the property went to sealed bids. However, Sara and her husband Pete won the day and moved into their new home with their children Sofia, 18, and Josh, 20, in the summer of 2023, having rented it out for the previous four years. 'That was how long it took to secure planning permission,' she says. 'So we started the build six years after we bought the place, and lived with no functioning kitchen and builders on site for months, which was quite a challenge for everyone.'