real home

This image In a cosy seating area off the kitchen, Katy and Dizzy put their feet up on an Ercol daybed , found on Ebay. The Kodak lights were sourced at the Salvo Fair

Opposite In a nod to the building’s heritage, an old school gym ladder rests against custom bookshelves. Katy spotted the Ingmar Relling Siesta Sling lounge chairs at a vintage fair but didn’t buy them, then tracked these down on Ebay two years later. They fit together to make a twoor three-seater sofa. The coffee table was a gift from Katy’s mum. Ercol trolley , Ebay

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THE OWNERs Katy Green, a geotechnical engineer, and her arborist husband, David, live here with their infant daughter Gladys, a baby on the way, and Dizzy the Dalmatian

THE PROPERTY A four-bed converted 1893 schoolhouse in Camborne, west Cornwall

Looking back, it was a reckless move when Katy space and opted for a herringbone parquet floor. ‘I love a big Green and her husband, David, bought an old school living/dining space, so I really wanted to keep it,’ says Katy. A that had been converted into offices at auction, bedroom and bathroom up a few stairs, and the two bedrooms without planning permission, having sold their tucked into the basement, complete the remodelled space. previous house and without anything to move into. They then sanded the original floors in the bedrooms and They spotted the property in the local newspaper, living room, pulling out staples one by one. ‘It was a labour went to have a look, and headed to the auction. ‘David was of love,’ she adds. They had just finished plastering when wearing a bobble hat and nodding as he bid so the bobble disaster struck. ‘The ceiling suddenly cracked,’ says Katy. was just nodding away!’ laughs Katy. ‘It was “going once, ‘We had to take the whole lot down. I must admit that I did going twice” at £112,000, and we thought we had it. Then have a little cry at that moment.’ The light at the end of the a new bidder chipped in, so it ended up going for £150,000 tunnel soon appeared, though. ‘The kitchen was one of the

“to the man in the bobble hat”.’ last things to go in, and the day they fitted the Aga just felt Katy and David needed to put down the immediate really lovely,’ she says. deposit that was required, and a few frantic calls to the Katy scoured the country’s reclamation yards and bank later, they’d secured a loan and the house. But what online auction sites throughout the build to find furniture they bought was a far cry from either the original school and accessories to suit her industrial mid-century style, or the lovely home they now live in. and elements of the internal architecture were built around Outside, there were three prefabricated huts spanning her finds. ‘I bought a school bench shoe rack for the entrance 100 feet, 12 telephone lines and a 22-space car park. Inside, the hall and that dictated the width of the bookcase on the other space had been carved up with stud walls and false ceilings side,’ she says, ‘and the door frames were made to fit the hiding the original architecture. Despite secondhand doors I found. I love those all that, Katy immediately saw its potential. ‘It had an institutional feel, ‘ A N Y T H I N G details.’ Most of the interior came together instinctively as Katy collected things she which I really liked, and I liked its weird liked, taking care to keep the look simple. scale, too – from the front it’s this cute little house, but once you get inside, it W E C O U L D D O ‘We limited the colour palette to white and wood, with the odd accent of grey reveals its full size.’ or red,’ she explains.

The couple secured planning permission, however, because it was O U R S E L V E S W E Once the interior was complete, the couple’s thoughts turned to the garden. a ‘change of use’ they couldn’t get ‘We’d spent 18 months renovating the building regulations sign-off – or a mortgage – until the end of the project. D I D ; I T W A S A house, surrounded by a sea of tarmac, so we couldn’t wait to get rid of it,’ says

A bridging loan from family saved the day. Katy. ‘A JCB-driver friend dug up the

Once funds were in place, the couple ripped everything out – right back to L A B O U R O F L O V E . car park, but that just meant we were surrounded by a sea of mud, which the original stone walls. ‘Anything we was slightly soul-destroying.’ The slow could do ourselves we did,’ says Katy, whose hands-on approach extended W E ’ R E R E A L L Y evolution of the garden, which now includes a sun terrace, raised vegetable to living in those prefabricated huts beds and a family of chickens, is what

KATIE TREGGIDEN PHOTOGRAPHS BRUCE HEMMING on site throughout the 18-month build – without a shower and with only camping stoves to cook on. They commissioned a timber frame for inside the external walls, insulating between the two, so today, the Aga is all that is needed to keep the whole house warm, even in winter. They had all the windows replaced and the joists at the back of the building cut, raising the floor level to add height to two new bedrooms in the basement. Downstairs, they added a damp-course membrane and concrete floor, while masons punched windows into the stone walls of the basement, adding granite lintels to match those used elsewhere. ‘It was a big, scary job,’ says Katy. At the same time, they were reroofing – replacing the modern cement tiles with traditional slate, and reclaimed ridged tiles that Katy sourced for the top. ‘I enjoy hunting things down, but finding a 12-metre run of reclaimed ridged tiles is really hard,’ she admits. They sandblasted and repointed all the stonework, replaced the fascias and removed a modern door from the front of the storm porch. HAPPY HERE’ finally makes the project feel complete. ‘Each year things are growing and that makes it feel like home,’ says Katy. So was it worth all the risk and hard work? ‘Had I known then what I know now, I might have been a bit less gung-ho,’ she laughs. ‘But I’m glad we did it. It’s a warm space where we can get a bunch of friends together. We’re really happy here.’ Clockwise from top Katy and David had the exterior sandblasted and repointed. They installed new windows, fascias, tiles and roofing, and took the property back to its original design. The newly landscaped garden provides a space to enjoy in the warmer months – Katy and daughter Gladys are already growing vegetables and raising chickens together. A DFS armchair, sourced on Ebay, sits alongside vintage Ercol Pebble tables and a Moroccan pouffe in the living room. A cushion from California adds colour. Katy and David

Inside, they lowered the ceilings in the lounge and master bedroom but kept the full 14-foot height in the main living WORDS restored the original floor. Lamp , Lush. For a similar radiator, try Period House Store

TOP TIP Open shelving is easy to install, emphasises the feeling of space and you can rearrange your displays when you feel like a change

Left and this image An Aga range heats the whole house almost all year round. The bespoke kitchen was fitted by a friend of the family. Katy sourced the herringbone flooring from an overseas supplier, while the pendant lights originally came from a Rover factory. A hand-me-down kitchen table is perfect for family dinners.

For similar flooring , try Havwoods. Benz dining chairs , Ebay. Pendant lights , Salvo Fair. Butler sink , Shaw. Fridge , Smeg

Below and right Katy couldn’t resist ‘Cyril’, an antique skeleton, when she saw him at Otto’s Antiques in Exeter. Her love of Art Deco style is reflected in the light fittings and ‘his and hers’ sinks, from an antiques auction. The bath was a friend’s; Katy had it sandblasted, painted and added salvaged feet.

Linen Me towels , found at auction. Medicine cabinet and red clock , Ebay. For a similar bath , try Classical Baths UK. Black moulded tiles , Original Style. For similar Hollywoodstyle vanity lights , try Easy Lighting.

TOP TIP

Look for vintage posters to add a unique, characterful touch – theme them to the room’s use for tonguein-cheek humour Right A walk-in shower fits neatly beneath the sloped roof, with the shower head fitted at the highest point. The screen follows the line of the ceiling.

For similar metro tiles , try Topps Tiles, Floor tiles , Fired Earth. For a similar traditional shower, try Victoria Plum

SAVE colour splash

Be inspired by Katy and brighten your bathroom with these vibrant baths for all budgets

SPEND

Left Old school lockers provide a handy storage solution in Gladys’ room. The little green chair came from a mid-century antiques fair.

Lockers , Ebay. Bed , Ikea. Wall prints , Esther Connon

TOP TIP

Check your look out in a floorstanding mirror, and bounce light around the space. An ornate surround will make a real statement Below left Katy and David’s open shelving is a vintage storage unit from local linen shop Manchester House. Having closed off a doorway, Katy used an old flag to screen the resulting alcove and create a wardrobe.

Artworks and accessories , Ebay. Bedding , Jigsaw. For a similar bed , try Wharfside

1 mirror mirror

Make sure your outfit’s on point and create a feature with a lovely leaning design, just like Katy has done

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1 Zebedee floor mirror, £445, Loaf 2 Antique gold leaner mirror, £146.95, Melody Maison 3 Arles leaning mirror, £229, Made 4 Acanthus leaves full mirror, £330, The French Bedroom Company

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GoodHome Hyogo matt emulsion paint, £16 for 2.5ltrs, B&Q

KIDS’ BEDROOM PAINT IDEAS

If there’s one place you can go wild with your paint brush, it’s in your kid’s bedroom. Bright colours and fun designs Regency Blue matt emulsion paint, £47 for 2.5ltrs, Little Greene will spark their imagination – but you want it to be stylish too, of course. Over on Real Homes TV, we’re sharing the latest paint ideas for kids’ bedrooms, from creative designs to pared-back spaces Secret Escape feature wall paint, £14.50 for 1.25ltrs, Crown that will inspire you to create a room they’ll feel proud of. TUNE IN TO THE REAL HOMES SHOW WANT MORE REAL HOMES? THERE’S AN EXCITING NEW WAY TO GET YOUR INTERIORS FIX WITH OUR ONLINE TV SHOW

Room to breathe

WIN WIN WIN

If spending more time at home has made you realise that you need extra space –whether that’s a home office or separate living area –extending upwards could give you a whole floor away from the hustle and bustle of family life. To find out more about loft conversions and discover if it could work for you, don’t miss our latest episodes.

Amazing giveaway

How adorable is this shed? From The Posh Shed Company, the Ludlow’s compact size makes it the perfect addition to any style-concious garden – and now you could be in with the chance of winning one, worth £1,760. Watch the Real Homes Show and enter at realhomes.com/tv. Good luck!

A GUIDE TO Garden rooms

Make use of the area around your home to create more living space by putting up a garden room. Find out what you can build and how you can use it...

Constructing a garden room can be a brilliant way to make your home bigger. Both a freestanding building located somewhere on your plot or a garden room rear extension are possibilities – and either could prove a huge asset. What’s more, a garden room can be constructed for a relatively modest cost considering the space it adds and, if you opt to build it away from the house rather than adding on to your home, the process is a minimally disruptive way to add space. If it provides a home office, a garden room creates space to work that doesn’t impinge on the interior of your home, which can be important psychologically, separating work and the rest of your life with physical distance. But there’s a whole host of other purposes a garden room can have, giving you the luxury of a feature you would never be able to accommodate between the four walls of your house – whether that’s a hobby room, gym and so on. Building a garden room can be straightforward, but you do need to be aware of the rules, as well as consider the best design and finishes. Our guide will give you the details you need, plus plenty of ideas and inspiration from people who have gone before you.

REALHOMES.COM

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GOOD HEALTH

Valentina Druzhinina, husband Alastair Bennett, and their two kids, Charlie and Chloe, created a home gym and meditation space in the garden

‘Our wedding was the main inspiration for the project,’ says Valentina. ‘It took us a few years to make our house a home, and the garden looked lonely, forgotten and out of date. Being an interior designer, my creative soul was screaming for harmony that would come from connecting the main house with the garden through colour, material and concept. Our garden wedding was approaching fast, so work started and the garden room played a major role as the focal point from which everything would unfold. It was to become a multifunctional space with a family gym and garden storage. ‘The gym takes two-thirds of the garden room and one third is left for the garden equipment. The layout is simple but clever, as it hides a peculiar corner. It’s joined to the main house with a stone path, enabling easy, mud-free access. ‘Before installation we organised concrete foundations and ran the electricity supply. Assembly took just six days. The room is insulated, so it can be used all year round. Black is our favourite colour. It’s easy to work with, looks fantastic and brings the best out of the garden. The room has a living roof that’s beautiful to look at from above. It also helps to keep it cool during summer months. ‘Inside, I went for a few layers of white oil to cover and balance all the yellowish and pinkish undertones of plywood panels and solid beams. Floor-to-ceiling windows and mirror panels make the room look airy and part of the garden. ‘We both work from home and having this beautiful zen space makes a great change of scenery and breaks the day up nicely when we use it for working out or meditation. The smart storage makes barbecues and garden maintenance a real pleasure.’

COSTS & CONTACTS

Project cost £35,890 with installation Garden room 3rdSpace, 01869 254023, 3rdspace.co.uk

OTHER RULES?

The building regulations may not apply to your garden room. You can normally put up a detached outbuilding without needing approval if the floor area’s less than 15m 2 . It can’t contain sleeping accommodation in this case, though. For a room of between 15 and 30m 2 , you won’t need to get building regulations approval either, provided that it’s either 1m from any boundary, or is made substantially of non-combustible materials.

PERMISSION KNOW-HOW

As a general rule, if it’s an ‘outbuilding’, a garden room can be built under permitted development so long as it isn’t self-contained accommodation. Your building needs to be single storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5m and a maximum overall height of 4m with a dual pitched roof, or 3m for any other roof. Check realhomes. com/planning-permission for full requirements, and bear in mind that in areas such as AONBs rules vary. If your home is listed, you’ll need permission. Garden room an extension to your house? Check PD criteria for single-storey extensions.

THINK PURPOSE

What are you using your garden room for? It could provide the separate room you don’t have within the walls of your house such as a home office or cinema room. Perhaps a home gym would motivate you to exercise? Or it might be a playroom for the kids, or a hobby room for you. Alternatively you might want to create a summerhouse that lets you sit or eat in the garden when the weather’s not quite right for relaxing or dining completely in the open air.

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SELF BUILD

Architect Carl Leroy-Smith of CARL Architect created a garden room that extended his own former home

‘The house is a typical Victorian terrace,’ says Carl. ‘It’s generally quite a dark house, so this is a different type of room from the rest. There’s a whole wall of glass on one side with sliding doors that I made. It’s attached to the rest of the house through an opening where there were French doors that went out on to the garden. ‘It was built under permitted development [PD]. The house is 3.6 metres wide and I could only go out three metres under PD, and it could only be three metres high so you end up with a cube. Giving up some of the garden was fine. In our road, the gardens are about 30 or 40 metres long, so taking out three metres wasn’t a drama. ‘The timber structure and ply is from B&Q –basically the cheapest stuff I could find. It’s all Danish oiled internally, which brings it together as one colour. I like the timber aesthetic. The flooring is reclaimed Douglas fir that I planed in the garden, then fitted. The outside is western red cedar. The sliding doors I made myself from ply ripped down at B&Q and glass from a local supplier. The most expensive thing was the Vitsoe shelving and desk system used for crafts and work. The hatch was a little house for my son when he was three or four: once he grew up, it became a cupboard. ‘The room created a study and a sitting room – additional family space. It’s fully insulated and complies with building regulations. The verandah gives some privacy. It’s something I include in quite a lot of projects because it’s a useful space: you can have the doors open but it’s a little bit protected when there’s rain. ‘We ended up sitting in the garden room all the time and not in the original living room at the front of the house. It enabled our son to go out in the garden where we could see him play.’

COSTS & CONTACTS

Project cost Around £10,000 Architect CARL Architect, 023 9343 0009, carlarchitect.co.uk

RIGHT SPEC

With its purpose – or purposes – decided, you’ll be able to buy or build the garden room that suits. A garden room for daytime use in the summer months only, for example, doesn’t need to be as sturdily constructed as a home office occupied year round, nor does it need to be insulated and have electrics. Think about whether you need to have heating in the room (see ‘Stay snug’, p.70). The purpose of the room will also determine whether it needs built-in storage, or space for freestanding storage furniture.

ALWAYS ONLINE

Unless your garden building is to be a digital detox zone, you’re likely to want Wi-Fi there. It’s possible that the signal from your router will be strong enough, but, if not, you’ll need to boost it. There are a variety of solutions, including powerlines and Wi-Fi extenders, which you’ll be able to install yourself at low cost. Running an ethernet cable to your building will provide a reliable connection. It’s best done when the underground cable to bring electricity to the building is laid, but if not, it could be retrofitted.

FIRM FOUNDATIONS

A garden room needs foundations appropriate to the site and the structure for which you’re opting. Some garden room suppliers take on this part of the work for you, but – depending where you’re buying – you may need to have the base already in place. Make sure you check what’s included when you’re buying so you can organise what you need to, and to allow you to keep track of costs. Foundations are often concrete slab, but there are also plinth systems, and other alternatives that garden room suppliers may offer.

WHERE TO BUY

Garden rooms run the gamut from something home-built from wood to bespoke buildings designed by an architect or specialist firm. In between, you’ll find modular kit buildings at DIY shops, online stores or from garden room specialists. Some companies supply with the option of DIY installation or getting someone in yourself, while others construct, too. Even with a modular design, there will often be customisation options that can make it the right garden room for your needs. DIYing? Remember that you’ll likely need a mate to lift panels and so on.

SWITCHED ON

A simple summerhouse used in daylight hours only won’t need it, but many garden rooms require electricity for lighting and to power sockets. Your design may come pre-wired, but it will need to be connected to your electricity supply via an armoured cable buried in the garden. Call in an electrician registered as a competent person to do the work, which must comply with building regulations. Generally, this is an extra cost that needs to be accounted for in your budget, and if the room is distant from the house this will add to the bill.

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MULTI-TASKING MARVEL

Interior designer Louisa Tudor, husband Ed and children Millie and Tom have space for work, play and guests in their garden room

‘My husband and I have lived in this semi-detached house in Twickenham for over a decade,’ says Louisa. ‘With open-plan living on the ground floor, we felt we needed a break-away room, so we decided to look into installing a garden room. We applied for planning permission because we live in a Conservation Area. We went as wide as we could to fit the width of the garden at four and half metres and a depth of three metres. With the last metre width of the room we created an en suite and outside storage. ‘The room has given us a space for work and study, a chill-out zone for the children and a guest bedroom. Designing the interior for all these needs was interesting. The space is so limited that using darker tones wasn’t really an option. The interior walls are melamine panels with plastic beading, which we removed and filled the holes with cork to create a surface to wallpaper on. ‘A corner sofa bed gave us the versatility to use the space as a chill-out zone for the children or a guest bedroom. For the en suite, we used three different tiles to create some movement and rhythm, again using light colours. Black accents give depth and contrast. ‘The room is in constant use. I enjoy working away from the main house, guests stay out there with their own en suite and on Sunday afternoons in mid-winter we’ve found ourselves snuggling up there with hot chocolate and a good book. It’s so peaceful.’

COSTS & CONTACTS

Garden room £14,000 Plumbing £3,000 En suite and tiling £2,800 Easigrass £2,500 Fencing £1,000 Drapes £900 Sedum roof £850 Decorating £500 Garden room Green Retreats, 01296 325777, greenretreats.co.uk Interior design Louisa Tudor of LJ Interiors, 07920 864403, louisajaneinteriors.com

STAY SNUG

If your room’s for year-round use – and particularly if it’s an office where you’ll likely be sitting still for long hours and there’s expensive computing equipment – choose a well-insulated design with double glazing. You should also include a source of heating for your room. There are a variety of options, including electric convector heaters, electric or oil-filled radiators, and infrared heaters. You can put a woodburning stove into a garden room, but it’s an investment buy in the first place and must be installed by a HETAS-registered professional. Heat wouldn’t be instant, either.

BE SECURE

A garden room may well have plenty of expensive equipment inside, whether that’s home gym machines or computers and other office essentials, so an adequate level of security is imperative. Invest in a building with a secure structure, including for windows and doors. Consider extra measures too, such as an intruder alarm and CCTV. You should also check whether your home buildings and contents insurance will cover the garden building and what you keep in there – you may need a specialist policy.

BUDGET SAVVY

What you can expect to pay for a garden room varies with supplier, size, materials, whether it’s a kit or bespoke and factors such as insulation and glazing. You can pick up a simple summerhouse to build yourself from around £500, but you might pay up to around £30,000 for an insulated modular building that’s installed for you. Bespoke designs are often priced by the square metre – do make sure you take into account what’s included in the price to make a fair comparison when you’re getting quotations.

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INSIDE STORY

How you use the room will determine the level of interior finish that’s best. You may need to dress windows with a suitable treatment to create the necessary shade and stop glare on screens. Shutters and wipeable blinds are practical options for a garden room as they’re easy to maintain and durable. Washable soft furnishings are useful in a room shared with young kids, and furniture made for conservatories or the outdoors should prove both long-lasting and easy to look after.