Beautiful Old House.

[Crocus]

We've just watched "Grand Designs" about a young couple (both lawyers) who bought a 400 plus year old farmhouse in Gloucerstershire. Like with most of the beautiful old houses, problems there were galore. Death beatle invaded most of the beams, some of the walls were literally just packed stones etc. etc. Eventually it worked out, after about 10 months and a lot of money. They brought it to the 20th century, but kept a lot of the original features. Quite beautiful in the end. Here's a link for those perhaps interested:
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/gloucester-the-farmhouse-08-06-10_p_1.html

I won't mind living in such an old farmhouse or cottage.

[dinger]

My son lives in a lovely old listed thatch roofed cottage . It makes it a bit of a trial when they get an idea to alter anything as everything must be kept as it was meant to be when first built certain things cannot be changed at all.

[Crocus]

Hi Dinger, yes, I've read a lot about listed houses, seen a lot of it on telly and I think it's a wonderful way of preserving and protecting your heritage. Such beautiful cottages and homes and buildings should be preserved. xxx

[Shelli]

we have just spent the last 18 months renovating our 1740 farm cottage. pictures galore - would anyone like me to put a few up?
I have a lot of before and afters too

Shelli X

[keepersdaughter]

Shelli, please post pictures and tell us how and why you did what. Would love to hear about it. Crocus, I'm off to have a look at the site you mention, I would certainly have enjyed seeing the programme. I would love to live in an old house with character.

[Shelli]

Well - you asked for it - I've not got much time left today (slow morning - but busy afternoon at work)

I've attached pictures of exterior to start with just to check how it looks on the post.

Where To Begin?

The house is a 1740 farm cottage in a south lakeland/north lancashire village called Hutton Roof - the right hand side was the barn which was knocked through and converted (we estimate) about 50 years ago. The last owners owned the property from 1972 (the year I was born) until 2004 - they used it as a holiday and weekend home through 1970's and 1980's - they moved in full time in the 1990's. Mrs died in the late 1990's and Mr in 2003/4 (I think) - we bought the property in November 2006. All their things were still in the house, their remaining family saw it as a chore to clear so we offered to do it - it was a very sad job. Some of our "before" pictures do show their old furniture and belongings. We treated their things with respect - some we were able to keep re-use - some went to Age Concern.

The house itself was in a very poor state when we took it on, as you will see.

Shelli X

[keepersdaughter]

Shelli, it's wonderful, more pictures and story please.

[Crocus]

Shelli, how can you ask if we want you to put pictures on - you must! :D As you by now know, we all love piccies, so click away and get it on here......:cool: xxx

Thanks Shelli for the info and the pics! It's lovely! xx

[jazzactivist]

Your home looks like a really interesting project, Shelli, and quite an undertaking. Please put up some more photos. My partner and I have renovated two old cottages in the past - one 1700s and the other 1800s - and it was a lot of work even for quite small buildings. We lived in them both for several years completing each phase of the work as we went along. Strangely, life conspired for us to move elsewhere just at the point when we had nearly finished them. It was an interesting experience doing all the work, especially peeling back the layers of DIY jobs and wallpaper from different eras, but I don't think we will do another one. I am quite keen to live in a more modern house now, but one that has some modernist character. But we'll see...

I love Grand Designs, crocus, and Kevin McCloud mmmm! mmmm!, but prefer the houses that he features that are much smaller and don't cost as much to build, such as Ben Law's forest house, the one built in London in the space of a garage, the underground eco house, and the wooden house. To me, it seems more creative to make something great with relatively little money than to be able to buy anything you want. I sometimes think that it is sacriledge when you see people knocking down a building to build a new one. The good thing about GD is that it does feature a range of builds and the people are passionate about what they are doing and want to live in the house, not just sell it on.

[Crocus]

Oh isn't he just marvellous (Kevin, that is)? The one house in Grand Designs that will stay with me forever is the one in Wales, Brecon Beacons. I think it's the basic shape, nothing pretentious, a young couple who struggled to get it finished (they had to encounter MCD as well) which attract me to this house. I hope this link works Jazz!


http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/wales-the-isolated-cottage-08-06-11_p_1.html

[keepersdaughter]

Crocus, just curious. Do you get these show on TV in SA or do you find them by going the the TV websites?

[dragonfly]

What a fabulous house Shelli, keep the pictures coming.

I like the 'grand designs ' programme too but have not watched the latest one. Did you seen the one with the castle, turrets and all?

[baab95]

Shelli, I enjoyed the intial pictures and look forward to many more!
Like many of you I too enjoy watching Grand Designs. My youngest thinks that every building site is a grand design, and I'm loathe to burst her bubble just yet.

[Crocus]

Hi KD no on the tv in S.A. We have satellite tv. We just of course don't get to see the new BBC programmes immediately. The "new" Grand Designs series we get to watch now is already 3 years old. But to us it's 'brand new'. At the moment we also have Rick Stein's Mediterranean series.

[franbee]

That's a lovely house shelli, Hutton Roof, eh? Jazz and I'll come and have a look for ourselves, she's not far far from you, and I come over to Lancaster/Morecambe to visit family. kate could jump on a train and I could pick her up at Carnforth station!!

[Crocus]

I've just watched "Grand Designs" again about the couple who renovated a very old farmhouse in Gloucester. Kevin at the end said that the couple allowed the house to take them by the hand, told them what it wanted and they listened. It's such a descriptive sentence which is so true, something I strongly believe in as well.

When we had this house built 8 years ago, I had a very good idea of what I wanted, no grand design at all, just a honest house reflecting what we felt, how we felt, what we would've liked it to be. It will take quite a while yet to have it where I see in in my mind, but I'm quite content with how it is now.

Did your house tell you what it wanted, and did you listen?;)

[Katelb]

Fantastic pictures Shelli,love the house,what a project you have had.As Franbee says,you are not that far from me either although I must confess I haven't heard of Hutton Roof,I will look it up! Keep the pictures coming.

[souter girl]

Kevin McCloud - the thinking woman's crumpet? Down girls!!
(I only watch it for the houses, of course!)

[Crocus]

Oh yes, me as well......... xxx

[Shelli]

sorry for the delay with more pictures - it's all been a bit chaotic lately.

thanks for all the replies so far - yes Hutton Roof, 2 miles from Kirkby Lonsdale - lovely village at the eastern foot of Hutton Craggs - for all you local types - if you know the fell you come to at Junction 36 of the M6 - you know, the one that means you're nearly home - that fell is called Farleton Knott - our village is on the other side of that fell.

So in July 2006 Mr OH and I had viewed 2 properties and put in an offer on one - it was a finished barn conversion on the Leven Estuary -needed no work at all. and then one day I was doing the usual trawl on rightmove and saw that this house had been reduced (by a lot) and had been returned as within our price range (chuh! - yeah right! now we know why!)

When we viewed I remember the OH asking me if I thought we should put in an offer and I became very formal and said " let the record show that you have asked me if I think we should buy this wreck and that I have replied that if we do it is your decision as I think it will cost the GDP of a small country to do it up" - he laughed heartily at the time!!

anyway you want pictures so here we go the first set are before and after of the 1st floor landing - it was a wasted space at the top of the stairs so we turned it into a family bathroom

[Shelli]

these next pictures are of the landing as it was before and after - the toilet you can see on the before shot was behind a sliding door - it was like having a railway carriage on the landing! - it made the landing very narrow and dark, as did the linen cupboard next to it

[Shelli]

by the way the reason that the before pics are so blue is that the roof was off at this stage and the only weatherproofing consisted of blue tarpauline - several of the main roof timbers had serious woodworm and previous roof repairs had involved men with spurs and stetsons - there was several tons (i exaggerate not) of mortar that was sitting on the suspended ceilings of the bedrooms - when the builder went through the master bedroom ceiling he brought 3 pieces of stone the size of footballs with him :eek: - you can see the hole in 1st pciture

[Shelli]

so the spiral staircase - or spigal sparecase as my daughter puts it - went in to make the 2nd landing open to the loft - getting light into the house was very important - it was so dark before - the bathroom was on the 2 nd landing in a boxed in area which meant that the corridor was narrow and sent you round 2 corners to get to the master bedroom at the end of the house -

we all love this part of the house - the loft is going to be a hobby rooom - it has linen cupboard which houses water tank - since these pictures were taken it has been finished cleaned and repainted black

[Shelli]

I could keep going all day - its like therapy !


the master bedroom was 20 feet long - but as i have explained you had to walk along crazy dark corridor to get to bathroom - so we used the back of the bedroom to make an en suite (sort of) extra bathroom - it's got a huge dormer window so very bright - the tiling we chose because it seemed to resonate with us - the landscape around and about is limestone

[Crocus]

Wow Shelli, it's lovely - you certainly did a great job of the wasted space! Are you still busy renovating the house?

I only noticed the other pictures after I've put in my posting - I like your spiral staircase, it's marvellous, as is the rest of what you've done Shelli!

In a village near where we live there's a spiral staircase like yours in a smallish shopping centre - lovely. When we go there again, I'll take a pic to put on.
Thanks for sharing with us. xx

[Shelli]

Ahh the kitchen - heart of the home - it was 1970's dark beige and brown and brown and orange, oh and did I mention brown - nothing wrong with that particularly - i only tell you the colour scheme because you can't see the colours on the picture - another sliding door at the back of the kitchen gave way to the internal hallway leading to the lounge - these are before and during

[Shelli]

Hi crocus - we're nearly finished now -moved in on August 8th - quite a bit of finishing off to do - garden is wreck and dining room floor only tiled in the middle - also lots of bits of filling and painting and stuff to do - but the main work is done

until commencement of phase 2:eek:

Shelli X

[Shelli]

this is during fitting etc of units and tiles

[Shelli]

I call the tiles apples and rhubarb - chose those colours because that is what you can see from the kitchen window

I should go now and pick up genepuddles - thanks for letting me share my pics

take care all - speak soon

Shelli XX

[Crocus]

Hi Shelli, you really did a good job! All of it looks very lovely, especially the kitchen. The units are very stylish. x

[Crocus]

Your home looks like a really interesting project, Shelli, and quite an undertaking. Please put up some more photos. My partner and I have renovated two old cottages in the past - one 1700s and the other 1800s - and it was a lot of work even for quite small buildings. We lived in them both for several years completing each phase of the work as we went along. Strangely, life conspired for us to move elsewhere just at the point when we had nearly finished them. It was an interesting experience doing all the work, especially peeling back the layers of DIY jobs and wallpaper from different eras, but I don't think we will do another one. I am quite keen to live in a more modern house now, but one that has some modernist character. But we'll see...

I love Grand Designs, crocus, and Kevin McCloud mmmm! mmmm!, but prefer the houses that he features that are much smaller and don't cost as much to build, such as Ben Law's forest house, the one built in London in the space of a garage, the underground eco house, and the wooden house. To me, it seems more creative to make something great with relatively little money than to be able to buy anything you want. I sometimes think that it is sacriledge when you see people knocking down a building to build a new one. The good thing about GD is that it does feature a range of builds and the people are passionate about what they are doing and want to live in the house, not just sell it on.

Hi Jazz, the wooden house you mentioned, was it the one in Kent the people waited 16 years to build? It was imported from Finland? I've just watched this programme and it's quite an interesting house.

Something about the programme "Grand Designs", I so love the music being played during the programme. Very atmospheric. xx

[Shelli]

My favourite just in terms of sheer quirkiness was the "Huf" house - it was effectively a prefabricated house, whole sections were built in panels in a factory in Germany and then teams of germans came over on schedule and built it on site - their punctuality and work rate put the english lot to shame

Wish our builder had trained in Germany - or trained anywhere for that matter!!

Shelli X

[Crocus]

I remember the Huff House Shelli, it was quite an arty, retired couple wasn't? It was quite interesting to see the way they decorated their house. xx

[Crocus]

Yesterday evening we watched the programme on the Bliven Family, in Kent I think, who imported a ready made house from Finnland. Interesting as well. xx

[Crocus]

Me and "Grand Designs" again. If you were 78, a widow for the last 10 years, living in a beautiful house for most of your life, would you decide to build a new home for yourself in the front part of your existing garden, the brief being "a house for future generations"? I have watched this programme last night and it was quite interesting. Especially because the walls of this house was polystyrene filled with concrete.

It's one of 10 wackiest Grand Designs. Not really my cup of tea but it was interesting to watch the whole process and I quite admire the 78-year old lady having what it takes to go through such an experience! xx

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/grand-designs-extras/10-wackiest-grand-designs-houses-08-09-05_p_2.html

[keepersdaughter]

Didn't see the show Crocus, but wish I had, I love shows like that. I rather fancy the Yorkshire castle and the Tuscan Castle. I would really enjoy doing something like that.
I'm going to take a look at the link later when I have more time, thanks for posting it.

[Crocus]

The Monmouth Gothic House attracts my attention. I noticed it on the link but we haven't seen it yet here in S.A. Hopefully it's on its way! The Yorkshire Castle will also be quite interesting as I love the Dales so much. xxxx

[Shelli]

If you are interested in the Peel Castle at Hellifield - you'll love their website, really interesting.

they now run it as a B & B - link below


http://www.peelcastle.co.uk/index_flash.html

Shelli X

[Crocus]

Hi Shelli, I had a look and WOW comes to mind! What a place. Thanks! x

[Crocus]

We've watched Grand Designs (like every week) and the renovating of an old 14th century derelict castle up in North Yorkshire was on the menu - lots of work, loads of money, but the end result lovely.

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/yorkshire-the-14th-century-castle-08-06-09_p_1.html

[Crocus]

Hi Shelli, how's the renovating going? Is it all finished yet?

[Crocus]

Watching Grand Designs again at the moment, and it's my favourite of favourite episode, the one in the Brecon Beacon National Park. It's a young couple renovating a 300 year old cottage which belonged the guy's father. It was during the time of the foot and mouth disease, and this poor couple had enormous poblems, but they carried on and eventually got the house more or less finished. Beautiful and basic. Of all the houses on Grand Designs, this will always be my favourite, perhaps because of it's 'honesty'. They didn't really have money, were young, have done a lot of the work themselves, and just carried on, no matter what was thrown at them. Lovely. xxx

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/grand-designs/episode-guides/wales-the-isolated-cottage-08-06-11_p_1.html

[Treehugger]

Oooooh looks fab C.

[Crocus]

Hi TH, this was a young couple who didn't own a lot, had a lot of problems in rebuilding this 300 year old cottage, partly because it is in such remote area. They had to endure foot and mouth disease, severe storms, snow, but still they tried there utmost to finish this house. Which I think is why I like this place so much - it's is such an honest house No pretence, no luxury, just the bare basics.

We've seen quite a number of houses on this program costing bags full of money with sometimes quite strange plans and ideas and unfinished. x