Category: House Tours
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Couple convert dated 1930s house into a modern family home
Despite being in the market for a new home, David and Magali weren’t impressed with the Art Deco house they saw for sale just a few streets away from their own home in Forest Hill, south London. “We’d discounted the house in question completely based on how it looked from the outside,” he says. “We…
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Cornwall bungalow turned into stunning house with sea views
As surprises go, a new home by the sea isn’t a bad one. In 2017 Ben and Ruth Prior, and their children, had been visiting the north Cornish coast for over a decade, renting homes each time. “I just thought, ‘Why don’t I buy one?’” says Ben, when he saw an older bungalow in their…
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This oak frame house blends character and modern style
The motives for those who choose to embark on the self-build route are many and varied and for Dawn and Graham Hillier, the practicalities of everyday life were the main factor. The couple were living in a big old farmhouse in Monmouthshire that was cold, draughty, uneconomical to run and increasingly becoming a challenge, particularly…
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Couple transform a 1930s house into an energy-efficient home
Homeowners Loretta and David are used to the construction process – they built their own home in Derbyshire before moving to their Sheffield village 10 years ago. A few years after moving, however, they decided the house was too small for them so the hunt was on for a bigger place. “When we found a…
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Novice self-builders replace old bungalow with modern home
Bidding for a small, damp bungalow at auction was probably reckless, according to the property’s co-owner Ben Humphrey. “We knew the council had already refused a previous planning application for two houses on the plot, but we went ahead and bought the property anyway,” he admits. “As first-time builders, we were rather naive and didn’t…
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Former naval fortress on Pembrokeshire island for sale
Thorne Island, a Grade II* listed coastal fort built in the 1850s as part of the defences of Milford Haven, has been placed on the market for £3 million by Plotfinder. Once a military stronghold guarding one of Britain’s largest natural harbours, the island later became a hotel before being converted into a family home.…
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A 700-year-old Essex farmhouse with a 21st-century touch
Noakes Cross Farm is a 14th-century Grade II-listed farmhouse in Essex that has undergone a sensitive renovation to adapt it for modern living. Part of Fenn Wright’s Signature collection of distinctive homes, the project carefully balances rarely seen historic features with practical contemporary spaces. The result is a property that perfectly blends medieval structure and…
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Transformation of a 1980s house into a modern eco home
Happy though they were in their previous home, homeowners Eilidh and Rob discovered that with a growing son and daughter, more space was needed and the detached property they found in the same Nottinghamshire village suited their needs better. “We loved the plot and the feel of the house inside,” says Eilidh. “It felt warm…
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Step inside an extended Victorian house with sea views
Homeowners Alan and Suzy had a very specific brief for their architects: “To fix all the problems with our quirky old house without losing any of its magic, so that we could feel joy every time we arrived home,” says Alan. The three-bedroom Grade II-listed Victorian property stands in a National Landscape area (formerly known…