© Carl Blank
Howard’s friend realised he’d bitten off more than he could chew with the renovation
H
oward Vaughan has always nurtured a passion for architecture. “I’ve probably watched every episode of Grand
Designs,” he says. “I love the idea of designing and refurbishing a property.” Howard, who runs three construction and development companies in North Wales, had always cultivated the dream of creating a bespoke home where he could raise his young family. However, it wasn’t until four years ago that the right opportunity, in a place very familiar to him, came up. “I used to walk past this 1920s Arts and Crafts house every day on the way to school but I never really knew it was there,” he says. “There was a group of huge conifer trees in front of the building that pretty much obscured it from view.” When the property came up for auction in 2017, Howard went to view it with a friend. Though it piqued his interest, Howard wasn’t in a position to take on a major project at the time. “At that stage I was more interested in the land adjoining the house,” he says. “We came to a deal whereby we would split the property,
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so my friend would own the house and do it up, while I would get the parcel of land that came with it.” The pair went ahead with this strategy and planning permission was granted for Howard’s company, Brenig Construction, to build four new homes at the bottom of the sloping plot.
The plan took a drastic change of course, however, when Howard’s friend realised he’d bitten off more than he could chew with the renovation. “It dawned on him that it was going to be too much work. Some time had passed by that point, so I went round to take a look. By then, the time was right, so I jumped at the opportunity.”
CHALLENGES & INSPIRATIONS Howard knew he’d have his work cut out for him with the renovation. The state of the house left a lot to be desired, as it had not been upgraded in decades. “It was stuck in a 1930s time warp,” he says. There were broken windows with frames falling out of place and some of the rooms weren’t even hooked up to the mains electric supply. “You certainly wouldn’t have moved your family in there! My wife, Leanne, thought I was crazy as we lived in a modern new build at that point – the opposite end of the spectrum to what I was taking on.”
Despite the challenges the run-down house posed, there was one standout feature that Howard couldn’t wait to make the most of in the redesign. “It has one of the best views in Glan Conwy. It looks straight down the estuary and across to the mountains on one side and over
jul/aug 2021
EXTERIOR The flat roof form of the extension helps to distinguish it from the original property. The cedar cladding that has been used on the first floor will weather to an attractive shade of silver over time
LOW POINT
“We had a six-week delay on the delivery of aluminium-frame glazing for the extension. It was painful because it really hit the build programme hard.”
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