‘I Built My Dream Home By The Sea'

Alicia Trevor bought a tumbledown bungalow and replaced it with this stunning home, designed inside and out to look as if it has stood for years

Alicia Trevor fell in love with this part of the West Sussex coast years ago when visiting friends. ‘I loved their seafront property and relaxed lifestyle,’ she says. ‘The town (near Chichester) has a very special atmosphere, which grew on me. People here are really friendly.’ She found herself heading to the area so often that she decided it made sense to buy her own home here. ‘I got a tip-off that a derelict three-bedroom bungalow right next to the beach was coming onto the market and I couldn’t wait to step inside to see what it had to offer.’

She realised immediately that the only way forward was to knock down the crumbling property and start again. ‘The bungalow was dark and damp, hadn’t been modernised for many years and the garden was an absolute jungle,’ she says. After clinching the deal in May 2009, she couldn’t wait to get started. ‘Suddenly, I had a blank canvas and a wonderful opportunity to create my own coastal house from scratch.’