potential house was in the next village. “At the eleventh hour, when everything was all done and dusted, the solicitor discovered an issue about the access,” explains Julie-Ann. It was discoered that the sellers didnt own the first part of their driveway and the couple knew this would be an issue when reselling it, so had to back out of the sale. Soon after, a small uninspiring bungalow came onto the market in Lympstone, and Julie-Ann and Richard were among the first to see it. t was dilapidated,” she exclaims. “It had been someone’s treasured home, but the roof sagged and it wasn’t in great shape.” However, the couple discovered it had a


secret attraction: a rooftop view of the estuary of the Rier e, which ows from the city of Exeter to the English Channel. “We were both really excited and we thought ‘this could be the house!’”


The couple returned to the bungalow and sneakily climbed up on the roof (which Julie-Ann admits was a bit scary), to see the view of the Rier e estuary. This is a really difficult and expensive thing to get in Lympstone,” she adds, admitting, “we were quite cheeky, and put in an offer below the asking price.” Despite the easier option probably being to clear the site and start fresh, Julie-Ann and Richard decided to retain certain elements of the original building. Although not visible to the


58 www.sbhonline.co.uk


naked eye, the new house incorporates some of the bungalow’s existing external walls. The main work they did included removing the


roof, partially knocking down some of the walls, etending the ground oor to create three new bedrooms, but more importantly introducing a new first oor. t houses an open-plan liing space and a kitchen enclosed in oor-to-ceiling windows. Outside a partial wraparound deck sits beneath an overhanging roof to maximise the indoor/outdoor feel of the house. “Basically, the main part of the house is still


there,” explains Julie-Ann. “We took down two exterior walls and we knocked out some of the internal walls. The old house now forms part of the internal layout. Our bedroom takes up two- thirds of the original house.” She says she knew from the start how their home was going to look. “Being an architect obviously you’ve got a bit more vision,” she says. “I could visualise how it was going to look like right from the get-go.” And, according to Julie-nn, the final design remains true to the first sketch she did. The proect has been a fie-year ourney. The couple bought and moved into the bungalow in 2017 and Julie-Ann couldn’t wait to get started with the demolition. Before they had finished moving in, she began to strip the interior, starting with the carpets. “The thought of living in somebody else’s dust really grossed me out,


HIGH POINT


Climbing onto the roof of the bungalow and realising the possibilities of the view. “We were both really excited and we thought: ‘My God, this could be the house!’”


may/jun 2023


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