Transforming a terraced house

Having always wanted to live in a historic property, Rachel and Jason Collis could not resist taking on a renovation project when the house of their dreams came up for sale. They've restored the property back to its former glory and added some contemporary twists of their own.

Rachel and Jason Collis had no real intention of moving until Jason saw a for sale sign outside a Regency terrace in Cheltenham.

‘We had only just finished doing up a 1930s house and I was focusing on being a full-time mum to our two boys,’ says Rachel. However, as we’d always wanted to live in a period property, we just couldn’t resist having a look.’

The couple viewed the three-storey house and admired its original features. They loved all the period fireplaces, beautiful cornicing, deep skirting boards and – hidden under the old carpets – lovely pine floorboards.

‘The previous owner had let the house out to tenants and it was in a bit of a mess,’ says Rachel. Some of the fireplaces had been replaced with 1970s designs and the wallpaper in every room was very dated. When they later came to remove this, they found the plaster behind came straight off.

There was electrical wiring running along the walls, some of the windows were hanging off, the porch was coming away, there were antiquated radiators and the railings that once separated the front garden from the road had long since gone.

Such a long list of improvements would have put off most prospective buyers, but Rachel and Jason could see the potential to create the perfect home for their young family.