CASE STUDY RAISING THE ROOF


When David and Lisa Collins’ circumstances changed, a tired 1960s bungalow in Leeds offered not only the chance to build their dream house, but also gave them the perfect opportunity to move nearer to their daughter


TEXT HEATHER DIXON IMAGES BEVAN COCKERILL


W


hen David Collins developed an eye condition that left him unable to drive, he and his wife Lisa knew they would have to move house. They had lived for 30 years in a rural Nottinghamshire village and relied heavily on their own transport, so they needed to find somewhere closer to local amenities. t was also the perfect opportunity to move nearer to their daughter in Leeds. “We were looking for a new-build house on the outskirts of Leeds but soon discovered that it wouldn’t really work for us,” says David. “We like big rooms and open spaces but the only way we could achieve this was to buy a six-bedroom property, which we didn’t want.”


Then Lisa came up with a “wild card,” a very


tired 1960s bungalow with a largely unworkable layout and some quirky features – including attic bedrooms David could barely stand up straight in, and an internal patio door dividing two living spaces on the ground oor. t needed a lot o work, but we were not concerned about that. We renovated our last home and knew what we wanted to achieve, and what to expect. We also


44 www.sbhonline.co.uk


really liked the location of the house and the area in general,” says David. “That it was very close to a golf course was a bonus!”


THE MASTERPLAN Lisa and David agreed to buy it with the aim of extending and modernising it as soon as pos- sible. They moved into the bungalow in Decem- ber 2018 with the minimum of furniture – plus 200 bags of leaf mulch for the garden (Lisa is a keen gardener) and six large bags of logs for the fire  knowing they would have to move out again when the building work started. There were plenty of things wrong with the


property – the thermostat had been incorrectly wired and the central heating did not work. There was a strange extension over the garage containing two small bedrooms and a WC, all with low, sloping ceilings that severely limited the headroom. An old-fashioned hot air ducted system occupied even more space, and there was very little storage anywhere in the house. But the large garden, ideal location, and clear potential outweighed the negatives.


jul/aug 2022


HIGH POINT


“Working with the architects to discover the most eficient way o gaining that space and realising that not only was it possible, but it was also over and above anything we had hoped for!”


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