Learning the Ropes

One major renovation and a few mistakes later, Alex is ready to take her picture perfect home to the next level

- By Ellen Finch. Photographs by Katie Lee

Love at first sight’ isn’t exactly the phrase Alex and her husband, J, would use to describe their initial reaction to this 1970s house in a village near Leeds. Having sold their previous home, and with Alex pregnant with their second child, they were under pressure to find a new place to live – quickly. ‘We ultimately bought this house for the location,’ says Alex. ‘The village has a good school and we have a really big garden – but really, the area we live in was the nicest thing about the place. Sometimes I’m not sure why we took it on!’

Considering the state of the property when the couple bought it, it’s not surprising that it felt a little overwhelming. The house needed a complete renovation. ‘The last owner was the only person ever to have lived here, and you could tell,’ says Alex. ‘There wasn’t even central heating – just warm air heating, no radiators. That’s how dated it was!’