A vision in white

Build It’s former diary contributors George and Rosie Woods reveal how their substantial home renovation project has totally transformed three dilapidated one-bedroom flats into a family-friendly forever home

WORDS IFEOLUWA ADEDEJI PHOTOS JAMES FRENCH

THE WOODS FILE

NAMES George & Rosie Woods

OCCUPATIONS Communications consultant & trainer

LOCATION North London

TYPE OF BUILD Renovation & extension

STYLE Victorian house with contemporary interiors

CONSTRUCTION METHOD Brick & block

PROPERTY COST £1.2m

BOUGHT February 2013

HOUSE SIZE 232m²

PROJECT COST £310,000

PROJECT COST PERM2 £1,336

TOTAL COST £1.5m

BUILDING WORK COMMENCED October 2013

BUILDING WORK TOOK 48 weeks

George and Rosie specified a crisp white render to give the house’s facade a new lease of life

George and Rosie Woods knew that breathing new life into this rundown late-Victorian building – which had previously been converted into flats – was going to be a big challenge. However, they were eager to create an abode that would be warm, sustainable and offer their two children a comfortable, spacious place in which to grow up.

“It was important that we established a bright and roomy home with an extension to increase the existing footprint,” says Rosie. Although the Woods had some clear ideas of their own, they wisely sought the help of an architect and a local estate agent, both of whom advised them on smart ways to improve the existing structure so it would best meet the needs of their young family. “We followed many of their suggestions, paying particularly close attention to creating an attractive kitchen, bathrooms and a large master bedroom,” says Rosie.

A new look

The Woods bought the property in February 2013 and received no objections to the plans their architect had put together. “We got permission fairly quickly, partly because the only aspect of the house that required a drastic change and would affect the street scene was the front elevation, which we wanted to insulate and render,” says George. “Luckily for us the guidance regarding external wall insulation had changed just a few weeks before we sought permission, and councils were being advised to allow it to be used, provided it was done sensitively.”