Over evenings and weekends, Amy Gillin and Lewis Amos took on quite a challenge for their first house, renovating a damp former general store into an elegant home
Feature Lara Watson Photos Caroline Mardon
Moody Victorian reno
For Amy Gillin and Lewis Amos, the perfect first home together was worth waiting for. Taking on the majority of the renovation project themselves – they even had a go at plastering the bathroom – this is a house built over time, with love and determination. They clearly make a great team: ‘I couldn’t have done any of this without Lewis,’ agrees Amy. ‘He’s tried his hand at everything. He’s learnt carpentry, tiling, how to fit herringbone flooring, and even landscaping. My interior and design vision wouldn’t have been possible without him working so hard behind the scenes.’
PERIOD CHARM
Wandering through each impeccable room of their three-bedroom, turn-of-the-century terrace offers a masterclass in modern Victorian décor and styling, with period features and antiques sitting comfortably beside contemporary furnishings and eye-catching accessories.
There is a sense of calm here that belies all the hard work, which began as soon as the couple got the keys in November 2021. ‘We started renovating on the very first day, though we didn’t move into the house until February 2022 when we had a working bathroom, kitchen and bedroom,’ says Amy. ‘This is our first home – we had come from living separately at our parents’ houses, both in Worcestershire.’
The first job was to tackle the re-wiring and first-floor damp-proofing, and then the basics of the bathroom and plumbing. ‘This way we could go to the loo while doing the work each night after work, and on the weekends!’ says Amy of their busy first three months. Not only that, but timber treatments were needed throughout, especially for the ancient floorboards, which also needed re-levelling.
Amy and Lewis also had to fit new guttering, have the house re-rendered and a new heating system and radiators installed, as well as bricking up and insulating the loft, which was still open to the house next door. ‘We took everything back to brick during the renovation,’ says Amy. ‘I wanted to put my own stamp on the house, and I was able to do just that – more so than I had imagined for our first home!’
CU
