‘it was literally a leap of faith across the road!’

When Claire and Nick Harvey began their search for a new property to renovate in early 2019, they had initially put their now-stunning Victorian terrace at the bottom of the list of potentials. ‘It was directly across the road from our old house, so it seemed crazy moving such a short distance just to start all over again,’ recalls Claire.

Having lovingly restored their existing home, the couple were keen to re-invest in a fresh project, and began to explore other parts of Southsea in Hampshire, but quickly found themselves back to where they’d started. ‘We realised that this house had so much more going for it than other properties on the area, and there was also potential to add a side extension to create a larger kitchen and dining space,’ explains Claire. ‘It also meant we could stay close to the children’s school, and most importantly, all our lovely neighbours that had become good friends. After one more viewing, we were won over!’

They moved across the road in June the same year, and started work straight away. ‘The surveyor had pretty much condemned the electrics, so with two young children, it was imperative we made the house safe,’ says Claire. The property also needed new central heating, the boiler had to be moved to the loft ahead of the extension, and the windows were also a big issue. ‘There was only one original sash window out of 20 that would open, and it was a very hot summer,’ recalls Claire. ‘As they all needed repairing or replacing, we opted for dark uPVC sliding sash windows, which were more energy efficient and half the price.’

Claire and Nick were also keen to make things as comfortable as possible for their two children, so focused on getting their bedrooms finished first. ‘We wanted to create a relaxing space for them both to escape to when the noise and mess got too much in the rest of the house,’ says Claire. ‘So we replaced the ceilings and roses, skirting and flooring in both ro