After living in their 1950s home for a couple of years, Carole and Ben Hepburn decided the straightforward update they’d planned wasn’t enough, and instead took on a complete remodel and extension project

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN

PHOTOS JEREMY PHILLIPS

It wasn’t the thirst for a project that drew Carole Hepburn and her husband Ben to this red brick 1950s house in Newcastle as much as the lure of the big, handsome garden. “Ben wasn’t convinced at first because the kitchen and snug looked onto the driveway, and a single door in the dining room was the only access to outside”, says Carole. “But we loved the south-facing garden and the interiors had an inviting feel. We felt confident we could make the house work for us with some minor amends – but actually it’s turned out to be the biggest project we’ve ever done!”

Taking time

The family moved to Newcastle in 2012 after deciding to up sticks from London with their daughter, Lucy – now 10 – to be nearer Carole’s relatives in the north east.They spent the first few years renting before purchasing this property in October 2014.

At first the couple had no plans to make radical changes to the house.They had £60,000 to spend on refurbishments and, after selling their London flat, their main goal was to live mortgage-free.

“I’ve renovated quite a few properties in the past”, says Carole. “From those experiences, I knew we could just about afford to make a few alterations to the kitchen and bathrooms, decorate, and put doors in the dining room to improve access into the garden.”

The handle-less pale grey gloss kitchen is a bespoke design from Alexandra Interiors and is fitted with a white quartz worktop

The couple got in touch with local contractor Joe Dixon, from JD Joinery and Building Services, for a decorating quote. His team took on the job, painting all the rooms white, and Carole explained their plans to update the kitchen and bathrooms at some point in the future. Time passed and, as they were in no desperate hurry to change the house, she and Ben continued mulling over their plans. “the longer we lived here, the more our ideas grew”, says Carole. “After a while we began to realise that the elevation facing south over the garden was the main sticking point with the existing house.”