Our Renovation Journey: Crafting a Dream Home in Leamington Spa
Hello and welcome back! It feels like an age since we last connected, doesn’t it? Our absence from the blog wasn’t entirely planned, but life took over as we embarked on the monumental task of moving and settling into our new home. We’ve now been residents for almost two months, and the renovation work kicked off practically the moment the keys were in our hands. This beautiful property, untouched for decades, presented quite the challenge – we even navigated the first few weeks without a phone line or reliable broadband, adding an extra layer of rustic charm to our initial settling-in period! While I’m still striving to carve out a dedicated workspace, we’re thrilled to report that significant progress is finally being made, and we’re excited to share every step of this transformation with you.
Why Leamington Spa Captured Our Hearts
The decision to stay in Leamington Spa was a deeply personal one, a topic I touched upon in a previous post after our offer on the house was accepted. Leamington Spa isn’t just a place we live; it’s a town we genuinely adore. Its blend of stunning Regency architecture, vibrant community spirit, independent shops, and beautiful parks creates an unparalleled living experience. Period properties, in particular, are incredibly sought after here, often snapped up quickly by discerning buyers. While property prices can be comparable to certain areas of London, prompting us to consider that we might have afforded a much larger house elsewhere, the unique allure of Leamington Spa proved irresistible. The town offers a quality of life and an aesthetic that perfectly aligns with our vision, making the choice to invest here an easy one.
Our Vision for the 1930s House: A Renovation Project
Our approach to finding a new home was deliberate and deeply rooted in a desire for a conscious, sustainable lifestyle. We made a firm decision not to overextend our budget, preferring the freedom of living simply and within our means over the burden of a hefty mortgage. From the outset, we knew we were seeking a 1930s house renovation project – a property that would allow us to pour our creativity and effort into transforming it into a space that truly reflects us, rather than buying something pre-renovated to someone else’s taste. We also ensured we retained a significant portion of our budget for future extensions and bespoke updates.
Our new residence is a charming three-bedroom 1930s detached house, ideally located in a tranquil, leafy corner of town. While not enormous, its enviable corner plot offers fantastic potential for future expansion, a key factor in our decision. We’re particularly fond of its generous setback from the road, enhanced by a well-established front lawn and a mature hedge, which provides a wonderful sense of privacy and seclusion. The property’s greatest appeal, however, lies in its untouched authenticity. It’s a genuine step back in time, boasting original 1930s doors and fireplaces, with a kitchen and bathroom that haven’t seen an update since the 1970s. This is a true fixer-upper, and we’re excited to be hands-on throughout the entire process. Beyond critical elements like electrical rewiring and replastering, we plan to tackle the majority of the renovation work ourselves, embracing the satisfaction of bringing this vintage gem back to life.
Transforming Our Garden: An Unexpected Delight
Initially, I considered the garden a significant compromise when we first viewed the house. As an avid gardener, my ideal vision was always a larger, more expansive plot. Our new garden is a north-facing, triangular space, and viewing it in the depths of a rather dark and dismal January had filled me with apprehension that the rear would be perpetually shaded. How delightfully wrong I was! Two months in, and this garden has undeniably become one of the greatest joys of our new home. Much to my surprise, roughly two-thirds of the back garden basks in sunshine for the majority of the day. Its unique, oddly shaped plot also blesses us with a generous garden space along the side of the house, in addition to the traditional lawned front garden.
Both the side and front gardens are wonderfully screened by a mature, robust hedge. This natural barrier provides almost complete privacy without being so tall as to obstruct precious daylight – a perfect balance. In a street where many neighbours have opted to remove their front gardens entirely to create multiple parking spaces, we feel incredibly fortunate to possess one of the greenest, most vibrant plots. Our previous home featured only a small town garden, which, while enjoyable to maintain, offered very little scope for planting beyond a few structural elements. Here, I can finally truly get my hands dirty! I’ve already dedicated considerable time to tidying and establishing a burgeoning kitchen garden along the side of the house. Despite the inherent constraints of its size and unusual shape, I’m relishing the challenge of this tight design brief. We are eager to fully transform the outdoor space, and Graham is already sketching plans for a ‘cool airstream shed’ he envisions building. However, significant relandscaping will likely wait until next year, as we anticipate things getting quite messy once the builders move in for the property extension.
Ambitious Plans: From Foundation to Finish
Our comprehensive renovation plan addresses both the immediate needs and our long-term vision for the property. One of the very first priorities is the replacement of the existing windows, which are quite old and inefficient. This will not only improve energy performance but also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the house. Concurrently, we’ll be replacing the dated UPVC front door with a more period-appropriate design, significantly boosting the property’s kerb appeal and restoring some of its original charm. The essential rewiring of the entire house is already complete, ensuring a safe and modern electrical system. For those who’ve been following our journey on Instagram, you’ll have already seen snippets of our progress: several rooms have been expertly replastered, and we’ve even begun decorating the first bedroom. Keep an eye out for a dedicated bedroom reveal post coming very soon!
A major focus of our renovation will be the kitchen. Typical of many unmodernised 1930s properties, the existing kitchen is quite small and compartmentalised. Our solution involves demolishing the old garage and extending out to the side of the property. This ambitious kitchen extension will allow us to create a much larger, more functional kitchen space, designed for modern living and entertaining. Crucially, this extension will also accommodate a dedicated home studio space for me, providing a creative sanctuary, and a small, practical workshop for Graham, ideal for his projects. Further enhancing the connection with the outdoors, we plan to demolish some disused outbuildings at the rear of the house. This will effectively open up the garden space and allow for the installation of elegant Crittall-style doors, creating a seamless transition from both the new kitchen and the living room directly into the revitalised garden.
The Art of Compromising: Finding a House That Truly Works for You
In today’s aspirational world, often shaped by the perfectly curated aesthetics of social media, it’s easy to believe that everyone else effortlessly finds their dream home. However, the reality for most of us is far more nuanced. Few are fortunate enough to find and afford a property that ticks every single box without some form of compromise. For Graham and me, this house initially presented two significant perceived compromises: its size, which was slightly smaller than our ideal, and the fact that the main garden area faced north, coupled with its unusual triangular plot. Ironically, these were precisely the reasons we both initially dismissed the estate agent’s listing!
What we’ve since come to realise is that these ‘negatives’ often come with truly positive flip sides. While the rear of the house faces north, the front, featuring a beautiful large bay window, is south-facing. These generous windows flood the living space with an abundance of natural light, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere. The front room is also cleverly screened from the road by the mature hedge, and the lawn provides a vital breathing space. For us, the ability to comfortably live at the front of the house, rather than being confined to the back, has become a significant positive. Similarly, the ‘weirdly shaped’ corner plot, while resulting in a smaller traditional back garden, provides much more usable space along the side of the house. This extra width offers invaluable potential for our planned extension, allowing us to add the essential square footage we desire. Once we took the time to truly view and walk through the house, we unlocked its hidden potential and began to form a clear vision of how it could be perfectly tailored to our lifestyle.
Furthermore, the fact that this property was a little smaller than some of the other houses we considered meant it came in under our original budget. This financial flexibility is invaluable, allowing us the means to not only update but also extend it to our exact specifications. We are incredibly excited to infuse this house with our personality and transform it into a home that genuinely works for us, reflecting our tastes and meeting our practical needs for years to come.
Therefore, my key takeaway message for anyone on a house hunt is this: don’t immediately discount a property simply because it doesn’t tick every item on your extensive wish list. Sometimes, it truly pays to arrange a viewing anyway, even if your initial impression isn’t “perfect.” At the very least, such viewings can provide clarity, helping you discern which items on your wish list are genuinely non-negotiable and where you might be prepared to be a little more flexible. Openness to compromise can often lead you to an unexpected gem brimming with potential.
We’ll be sharing detailed “before” shots of the house here on the blog as we reveal our room makeovers in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, for a more immediate, behind-the-scenes look at all our renovation adventures, be sure to follow our journey over on Instagram Stories. We can’t wait to show you more!