Last month my husband and I bought our first house together – a 1930s semi-detached house by the sea, in Hove, that has barely been touched since the 1970s.
Our vision for the house is to create a simple, light and breezy family home for us to raise our young son in. A Not-So-Grand-Design. But surely there is merit in that. After all, when most of us mere mortals take on a renovation project we’re usually focussing more on keeping the cost of radiators under £1000 rather than how to make our fireplace appear as if its floating.
Our journey began at the beginning of the year when we decided to move from our current London rental to Hove after much research. The quick commute into London (one hour), wide streets and surprisingly eclectic architecture (I’ve never been in a seaside town quite like it) make Hove feel beachy, friendly and bohemian all at the same time – a sort of Notting Hill by the sea. And without the congestion of nearby Brighton.
We searched high and low for months, dragging our son on endless journeys to viewings at the weekends, and found some very nice properties at prices a good 25% below their 2007 highs, and even then the agents were saying ‘they’re open to offers.’. But it was the solid, yet dated, semi by the sea that won us over – even though it meant we would have to take on a sizable renovation project, which was most definitely not in our plan.
The house had a massive amount of interest when it came on to the market due to its original features, balanced layout, lovely garden and considerable potential, but our chain-free status and solid mortgage worked to our advantage, making our bid (out of a surprising 15+ offers) the chosen one.
And now we’re on our way – the renovation adventure has begun. We will be keeping a blog diary of our progress for 4Homes, so watch this space.
Commentsoldest first
Be the first to comment - fill in the form below. Don't worry, we don't display your email address
Leave a comment
* Required field.