REAL PROJECT RENOVATION & EXTENSION
With hard work and a lot of initiative, Minnie and James Vosper lovingly brought their run-down home into the 21st century
HOMEOWNERS Minnie and James Vosper
LOCATION North Cornwall
SIZE (Extension) 66m²
BUILD TIME 34 months
BUILD ROUTE Self-build with contractors and Minnie and James project-managing
CONSTRUCTION (EXTENSION) Timber frame with traditional strip foundations
HOUSE COST £445,000
BUILD COST £350,000; cabin and gardens £120,000
VALUE £1.5 million
WORDS Victoria Jenkins
PHOTOGRAPHY Logan Irvine-MacDougall
On a grey day of pouring rain, Minnie and James Vosper came to view an 1840s cottage on the north Cornish coast. “The ceilings were so low James couldn’t even stand up,” says Minnie. “The estate agent took one look at him – he’s 6ft 4in – and discounted us as potential buyers.” But while James was muttering about it being a potential money pit, Minnie was overwhelmed by the magical spell cast by the cottage.
“It had clearly been a much-loved family home, but it was now very tired and needed totally modernising,” she says. “There were three small bedrooms and two reception rooms plus an 1980s lean-to at the back housing the downstairs bathroom and kitchen. There was also a conservatory.”
As for the nearly one-acre grounds they were very overgrown and had been neglected for years. “They were on a steep slope exposed to the sea winds; there was masses of weeds, brambles and bindweed,” says Minnie, a keen gardener. Hidden and secluded, yet only one mile from the beach, the traditional stone- and cob-built cottage was unlisted. “But we were keen to retain its character, seeing it as part of the local heritage,” says Minnie. A narrow track led down to a small copse and it was there that James also began to sense the building’s beauty.
PLANNING THE RENOVATION
In March 2018, with the property duly purchased, the couple moved in, full of ideas and enthusiasm. They knew they wanted to build an extension. But after consulting local architect Joe Reilly of Coal Architecture & Interior Design, they realised they couldn’t afford to build at the same time as remodel the cottage.
“The brief was to firstly renovate and reconfigure the cottage, and further down the line to add a contemporary two-storey extension that would forge a stronger connection to the gardens and landscape beyond,” says Joe.
To help fund the work, during phase 1 – the cottage renovation –
