It’s very nearly two years since we moved into The Gables, a modest little house, built in the early 1920s by a local builder. It stands on ground that once belonged to the smithy and The Hit Or Miss pub further up the street. (Both now family homes).
The move from Much Wenlock had been protracted: selling our cottage had taken time. Then there was six months in a rented house while we found somewhere to buy. It gave us chance to do some serious de-cluttering, but all the same we knew we would not fit comfortably into our new house without building a new kitchen. And so we bought it with that notion in mind.
We began, then, with something of the gamble. The Gables is in the Bishop’s Castle conservation area. Planning approval would be required, and our encounters with planning authorities in the past had not always gone well. We engaged local architectural designer, Henry Beddoes, to take care of the plans and the application. After all, it was scarcely an ambitious project replacing an old heat-leaking, plastic conservatory with a properly insulated room.
Even so, waiting for approval was still nerve-wracking. It took several months.
When it came to the actual plans, the site itself was anyway problematical. The south end of the conservatory was right on the boundary with a roadside verge, and most of the rest was nestled into the overgrown bank and hedge. There was not much room to manoeuvre, either outwards or upwards.
Flat roofs are never ideal, but a sloping roof that did not obscure the upstairs windows and had a good enough incline would have markedly reduced the height of the living space. (See previous post for internal restructuring.) And so instead we have a lantern skylight and some leaded nifty brickwork round the parapet. It seemed to us a reasonable compromise, not overburdening the existing house either in scale or fanciness. Builder Alan also cleaned and re-used all the conservatory bricks, and took pains to source new ones that were as near as possible to the 1920s fabric.
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And so there you have it: the Farrell domain…plain and unassuming, but ever so well built and insulated.
Very good and solid, in red!
It looks lovely, Tish.
Thank you, Ian.
…’plain and unassuming, but ever so well built and insulated’ might be a life plan to aim for, Tish, especially since the ‘well built and insulated’ actually hides a richness of knowledge and skill and care which is part of the true saving grace of a lived life!
Best for the going forward, too. Sarah
Many thanks as ever for your thoughtful comment and good wishes, Sarah
Definitely worth th time and trouble to get it right. It’s looking so good.
Many thanks, Margaret. Well, you have seen it in person 🙂
And we were impressed with all you’d done too!
It was very lovely of you both to come and look 🙂
It was great to be invited. You’ve got such a lovely home.
🙂
I hope you’re enjoying your new kitchen. What a project!
Many thanks, Anne. We are indeed enjoying our kitchen.
😍
A very solid looking house. May you have a happy life living there. I can’t actually believe it has been 2 years though.
Many thanks for those good wishes, Jude. And yes, where did those 2 years go to.
Being an old house person who loves appropriate add ons for things like new kitchens this is spot on. Paying attention to detail and yet moving into this century. And now of course I want to see inside the kitchen!!
Bernie
Many thanks for that very kind appraisal, Bernie. The inside is in the previous post. Cheers.
I think it looks great, Tish. We had my parents’ house extensively remodeled and our new kitchen is such a joy. I’m glad you’re enjoying yours.
Well it’s good to know that we’re both happy in our new kitchens, Janet. The doing-up bit can have it’s hair-raising moments 🙂
I love it! That’s so nice to see, and to better understand your recent journey of the near 2 past years. I am a sucker for that old red brick. And the home looks very warm and inviting. Well done Farrells! Prost to you both! Hit or Miss, definitely a Hit.
I wish that pub was still going. Such a great name. And thanks so much for cheering us on.
I found it interesting to see the exterior after you shared photos inside a short while ago. It’s clear your builder did an excellent job in sourcing bricks as it looks as if it could have been there for some time!
Glad that’s how it strikes you, Sarah. They will doubtless tone down a bit.
I love the soup to nuts story. All the planning and hard work has paid off. Beautiful bricks!
Thank you for those kind words, Jennie.
You are welcome, Tish.
Looks blooming marvellous, and gorgeous red brick too – love it
Much to be said for red brick 🙂
Beautiful post