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Working from home and looking after a toddler

while being surrounded by builders, dust,

noise and debris was all part of the renovating

experience for Emma Taylor. She and her

husband, Gavin Mann, swapped London life

for a more tranquil coastal setting when they moved to the village

of Milford on Sea in Hampshire, and embarked on a mammoth

building project in the shape of a 1970s house stuck in a time-warp.

“When we decided to have a baby the plan was to move out of

the city, and our nationwide search narrowed to the lovely Milford

on Sea,” explains Emma. “We really didn’t want to take on another

renovation project because doing up our house in London had

proved a bit of a nightmare, with builders leaving us in the lurch,

and we certainly didn’t think we could afford to buy somewhere so

close to the sea.”

18 SelfBuild&Design JUNE 2013

ExtEnsion & Remodel

Emma Taylor and Gavin Mann have turned an ugly 1970s house, into

a stunning seaside home, worthy of its of coastal location.

“We couldn’t believe we’d found something within our budget which was such a short walk from a beautiful quiet beach.”

BEFoRE…The original 1970s brick house was the ugliest property in the street.

…AFtERNow the house is unrecognisable, and has been extended and rendered, with zinc fascias and walls of blue-tinted glazing facing onto the new swimming pool and deck.

SToRy: ElEAnoR wildE

PicTURES: UniqUE homE stAys

JUNE 2013 SelfBuild&Design 2120 SelfBuild&Design JUNE 2013

The couple were therefore pleasantly surprised to discover

Beachcomber. The house is located on the shore of the Solent

in Hampshire on the south coast of England, close to the New

Forest National Park, and enjoys unobstructed views to the Isle

of Wight and the famous Needles rising out of the sea.

“It was the ugliest house on the street, and the amazing

view was the only redeeming feature,” admits Emma. “There

had only been one careful owner before us and it appears

he didn’t tire of the 70s décor, with original green carpets

throughout, avocado bathroom suites, brown gloss kitchen

units and wacky wallpaper making the rooms feel really dark.

It didn’t feel much like a seaside house, but we couldn’t

believe we’d found something within our budget which was

such a short walk from a beautiful quiet beach.”

In October 2007 Gavin, Emma and their baby son,

Dexter, took possession of their new home and lived in the

house for a year while they planned how best to improve

and extend the layout. Gavin still works in London as a

management consultant, and took on a 90-minute daily

commute from Milford on Sea, working on the house plans

in his spare time using Google images for inspiration. The

design was then drawn up by an architectural drawing

company ready to submit for planning.

“We’d used an architect for our London home, which was

a mistake as we realised he was more interested in how a

building looks instead of how well it performs,” says Emma.

“This time we decided to go it alone, and when we looked

at Beachcomber’s existing floorplans there were certain

alterations which seemed fairly obvious and made sense.”

The entire building has been reconfigured and extended

upwards and outwards, drastically increasing its size from

200 sq m to 300 sq m. An existing roof terrace was used as

a base for the new south-facing sitting room and balcony

on the first floor, and a ground floor dining room extension

was constructed with a roof terrace above. The old kitchen

became a utility room, the dining room is now the kitchen

and the study is a playroom, with a loft conversion creating a

private bedroom suite at the top of the house.

sEA viEws FRom thE tERRAcEWooden open-tread steps lead up to the south-facing sunroom on the first floor.

Externally, the previously ugly brown brick building has

been rendered and clad with weatherboarding. The roof was

replaced and edged in zinc, and a heated swimming pool and

decking were installed in the landscaped gardens. Windows

have been cut down to form walls of full-height glazing,

designed to enjoy the views, and a large entrance porch/

hallway was added to the front elevation.

The couple visited their neighbours to discuss their ideas

for the house before submitting the planning application,

and voluntarily reduced the size of the roof terrace above the

dining room to prevent overlooking.

“Some of the extensions were allowed under permitted

development rights, and we were granted planning

permission for everything else we wanted to do,” says Gavin,

who spoke at the parish council meeting. “Everyone was

unanimously in favour of the design and felt that it was an

exciting project for the seafront.”

oUtsidE insidE livingEngineered floorboards have been laid over underfloor heating in the kitchen and through into the new dining extension. Kitchen cabinets from Ikea are teamed with Corian worktops and glass splashbacks. The dining room in the new extension opens onto a deck through folding glass doors, and is open plan to the kitchen.

The entire house has been reconfigured and extended upwards and outwards.

GAvIN AND EMMA’S TOP TIPS “Don’t be put off by how a building looks – 1970s

properties can make great renovation projects. Find a

builder you’ll enjoy working with and have a detailed

written document which you agree with your main

contractor which avoids confusion later. Ours was around

10 pages long and covered everything from not working at

weekends to the finishes on skirting boards.”

ExtEnsion & Remodel

ExtEnsion & Remodel

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The planning process started in October 2007 and the

couple posted letters through all of the neighbours’ doors

apologising in advance for any noise and disruption before

building work began in October 2008. The start of the

recession caused a few concerns about funding, because the

house would need to be re-mortgaged part-way through the

project in order to finance the final stages of work.

Gavin and Emma employed a local family building firm

after seeing examples of the company’s work in the area.

“Moving from London meant we had no recommendations to

go on, and we met several different builders before choosing

Adbrook,” Emma explains. “They were absolutely fantastic.

They had worked on other sea-facing homes and came up with

some great ideas. Nothing was too much trouble.”

The family continued to live in the house throughout the

extensive building work, which took nine months complete and

involved removing the roof. During this time they moved from

room to room, sleeping downstairs to try to keep warm. Any

renovation on the seafront has its dramatic weather moments,

and at times strong gales buffeted the roofless building which

stands in a prominent, elevated position.

“Staying in the house saved us rental money, and at that

time Emma was working from home for a boutique hotel

website, which meant she was always on hand to talk things

over with the builders,” says Gavin.

RElAxing By thE poolThe ground floor sitting room opens directly onto the pool deck through blue-tinted glass doors, which reduce the glare from the sun on this south façade. Underfloor heating has been laid beneath engineered floorboards in this room.

FinE diningin ExtEnsionThe dining room in the new extension opens onto a deck through folding glass doors, and is open plan to the kitchen.

24 SelfBuild&Design JUNE 2013

The timber-framed dormer conversion was completed

first, while the weather was still dry enough for the roof to

come off and be rebuilt. This structure has been externally

clad with HardiePlank fibre-cement weatherboarding, which

has the appearance of natural timber without the associated

maintenance issues – particularly useful in an exposed coastal

location.

The ground and first floor extensions were traditionally

constructed in rendered cavity blockwork, and contemporary,

hard-wearing zinc fascias were chosen to edge the two flat-

roofed elements. Glazing plays an important role in what was

previously a dark and extremely cold house. A local hotel

inspired the blue colour of the aluminium frames and the

blue tinted, self-cleaning glass which faces towards the sea.

“We wanted to maximise the views and the amazing light

you get by the coast, so we chose floor to ceiling glass in the

sea-facing rooms,” Emma explains. “We also wanted it to

feel spacious and airy – hence the white painted floorboards

and walls. We like an uncluttered, contemporary look but it

also has to function as a family home.”

Overall the project has taken four years to complete,

including a year of meticulous planning followed by nine

months of fixed-price building work, then a year of rest

before the couple tackled the extensive landscaped gardens,

decks and heated swimming pool. This is actually an above

ground model, built into the raised decking and required

minimal excavation, which helped to keep costs down.

Six months of interior design and decoration then

followed, much of which was undertaken by Emma and

Gavin on a DIY basis. “The finishing touches were the most

fun, including finding and commissioning local artwork and

sourcing nautically-inspired furniture,” says Emma. “We

roped in visiting family to help out with painting too.”

From the beginning the couple (who now have a second

son, two-year old Ellis) had hoped to be able to rent out

Beachcomber for holidays during July and August, and last

year they bought a caravan and took the children for an

extended holiday to the New Forest and the South of France

– something which they plan to repeat this year in order to

generate an income from their seaside home.

ExtEnsion & Remodel

sEA viEwsBuilding on a large roof terrace has created the south-facing sunroom on the first floor, which opens onto a balcony enjoying 180 degree sea views.

ExtEnsion & Remodel

The FloorplanThe house appears to be only two-storeys high from the front, but is split level. The kitchen and dining room, playroom and utility room are located on ground floor, with steps up to the living room beside the pool. A flight of stairs leads up to three bedrooms, an en suite and the family bathroom, with more stairs to the former roof terrace – now a sitting room with its own balcony. A loft conversion has created a private suite at the top of the house.

26 SelfBuild&Design JUNE 2013

Home truthswhat was the high point of the project?Seeing the house transformed from what it was to what it is now was so rewarding. …and the low point?The roof came off in winter which meant it was extremely cold for a while, and was probably the worst bit. Having so many people around all the time when you’re working from home with a toddler could also be wearing.what was your best buy? The swimming pool was a bargain at under £10,000, because the company already had it in stock when a previous order was cancelled. it’s an above ground pool, built into the decking and heating by solar panels on the flat roofs, which have proved really efficient.…and your biggest extravagance?

The glass was expensive, and unfortunately the local company who supplied and fitted it later went out of business while there were still a few snagging problems. We sourced and paid for the glazing separately, which in hindsight was a mistake as we had to liaise with the company ourselves and didn’t really save any money.is there anything you would change?We would have sliding doors in the dining extension instead of opening glass doors which aren’t practical when the wind catches them, especially when children open them.

Contacts

pRoJEct

Builder Adcroft Build &

Renovation Ltd: 01590

644351 adcroftbuild.co.uk

Floorplans Wildcry

Technical Services Ltd:

wildcry.com

stRUctURE

Fibre cement

weatherboarding James

Hardie Building Products

Ltd: jameshardie.co.uk

silicon render

K-Rend: k-rend.co.uk

FixtUREs And

Fittings

Kitchen ikea:ikea.com

worktops corian: dupont.

com

sanitaryware Bathstore:

bathstore.com

mirror ball style pendant

lights B&Q: diy.com

others ie decking,

underfloor heating,

woodburner, engineered

wooden floor, lighting,

solar panels etc???

Bottom lineEmma and Gavin paid

£680,000 for the house

in 2007 and spent

£200,000 renovating

and extending the

building and a further

£75,000 fitting out the

property, landscaping the

garden and installing a

heated swimming pool.

The house is currently

valued at in excess of

£1.2m.

“We could never have had our dream home by the sea had

we not renovated and got our hands dirty, as we would never

have afforded a front row house that had already been done

up,” says Emma. “Every morning I look at the view and think

how lucky we are to live here – the sea and sky look different

every day and we can wander down to the beach whenever we

like. We’re so glad we changed our minds and decided to take

on a renovation.”

nAUty Boys RoomThe boys’ bedroom has been nautically themed and has white painted floorboards.

Big BEdRoomsConverting the loft has created a spacious main bedroom with an en suite bathroom at the top of the house, where floorboards from the original kitchen have been recycled and painted white. A free-standing bath is fitted in the en suite.The guest bedroom has its own balcony facing the sea.

child’s plAyThe former study is now a ground floor playroom for Jackson (6) and Ellis (2).Beachcomber is

available for summer

rental through Unique

Home Stays:

01637 881942

uniquehomestays.com

CHECKEDCREATED

DRAWING NUMBER

REVISION

DATE

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APPROVED

SCHEME TITLE

DRAWING TITLE

DWG. SHEET

PROJECT NO.

1 LydgateMilford-On-Sea

Minor Amendments

Lyd002a

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