A BRIGHT OUTLOOK

Katy Hamilton gave her house on the edge of the rolling Oxfordshire countryside a much-needed refresh

Having had her fingers badly burnt in a bidding war for another property, Katy Hamilton wasn’t confident when she found that a house on a quiet private road in an area she’d always loved was unexpectedly on the market. ‘It’s very rare for houses to come up for sale here and they’re always snapped up,’ she says. ‘The agent was holding an open day when potential buyers could view it, so my ex and I went along. We could see how special it was, but didn’t feel hopeful that our bid would be successful.’

As it turned out, they were wrong. The 1930s house had only ever had three owners, the decor was tired and dated, the rooms small and cramped, and all the utilities needed replacing – a major renovation was clearly necessary. ‘I’m not sure if that’s what put people off, but to my amazement our bid was accepted,’ says Katy.

The couple wasted no time planning a major extension with their architect. But first, everything from the plumbing to the electrics had to be replaced. ‘The electrician was surprised to discover three different sets of electrics in the house – it was a total muddle,’ says Katy.