Mandy Naldrett and her husband Andy have injected country character into this once bland ex-council property with pretty wallpapers, DIY panelling and secondhand finds
Feature and styling Marisha Taylor Photos James French
Farmhouse-style reno
After years of moving from one rental property to another, Mandy Naldrett and her husband Andy dreamt of buying their own home in their beloved seaside town of Eastbourne. ‘Andy and I were absolutely fed up with renting,’ explains Mandy, ‘we’d paid out thousands over the years to landlords and really wanted to invest in a house locally and get on the property ladder.’
The couple had worked hard to save for a deposit and, in 2009, were finally in a position to start looking around. ‘Our daughter Amy was six at the time and our son Ryan had just turned one, so finding a three-bedroom property near to a good nursery and primary school were our top priorities,’ says Mandy. After an initial search, the Naldretts realised that their budget wouldn’t stretch to anywhere that had already been renovated, and so started to look for a project property, eventually finding this 1950s ex-council house. ‘Although it was set back from a main road, which is a pain for parking, it was in a great central location and near a decent school,’ says Mandy.
The property was in a sorry state and every room was in a terrible condition, with plaster coming off the walls and filthy carpets. The kitchen was outdated and falling apart, and the bathroom hadn’t been replaced since the house had been built. However, it was affordable and had great proportions downstairs, a large back garden and three good sized bedrooms. ‘We could see it had potential,’ Mandy explains, ‘we were just going to have to dig deep!’
Although they were ready to take on the challenge, the couple still initially felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of work needed. ‘I remember just after moving in standing in the kitchen and crying! The walls were bright yellow and every cupboard either had the door falling off its hinges, or no door at all! But, with no money left in the kitty, we had to make do and mend,’ says Mandy. They fixed up the kitchen and the rest of the house as best as they could by deep-cleaning it, white-washing each room, and ripping out all of t
