there was a chain of people standing on the steps handing bags of sand along the line, and it took hours to carry things like the concrete mixer and all the building tools up to the cottage.”
But Helen and Pete are used to challenges. They have renovated many properties before and while this one had a unique set of issues – including damp walls, a steep hillside location and rotten roof timbers, Helen’s positive mindset meant that no problem was unsolvable.
Although they were living two hours away and had to take it in turns to spend the weekends there while overseeing the build, Helen and Pete still managed to run full time
jobs and look after their two young children. “We rarely do things by halves,” says Helen. “My family has roots in Runswick Bay so I knew this house from being a child and had always loved it. The painter Ashley Jackson once painted the view from the balcony, but I never imagined one day owning the property behind it.”
Helen, who runs a holiday let business, and Pete, who has his own electrical agency, wanted a place where they could escape to during the summer; the cottage was perfect.
But when they bought it in September 2015 they knew they would have to make massive changes to it before they could consider moving in.
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