insideKENT Magazine Issue 101 - September 2020 | Page 51

What were the common mistakes that you
managed to avoid?
I think our experience probably allowed us to save
a bit of time to stop the project massively overrunning.
I had been in and measured absolutely everything,
so I had been able to draw up to-scale plans, and
work out the furniture and décor plans for each
room in advance of us even completing on the
property. That might have been a bit bold, but
because we knew we’d need to hit the ground
running, I could invest that time ahead of the
renovations starting instead of during the work. I
created a sample board and shopping list for each
room, and as soon as we knew it was ours, I just
started getting the key pieces lined up, because we’d
need them readily available for when the painting
had been done. We probably slipped into the
overspending pitfall a little because we decided to
completely replace the upstairs bathroom rather
than just redecorate, but on reflection this was a
good long-term decision.
Did anything go wrong?
Touch wood – nothing major! We had the usual
frustrations of a radiator that developed a leak,
some pipework that ended up needing to be moved
costing an extra day, and discovered the most
extensive network of weeds in the sewer pipe … but
I’d say they’re the types of hurdles that you’d come
up against even in your own home that you might
have lived in for years. You just have to deal with
what you’re faced with at the time, figure it out and
just keep going! Mark is incredibly practical, so
there’s nothing that he won’t have a go at (often
with Google and YouTube as his guide!) and I am
pretty good at holding a bowl, holding a torch and
passing the right spanner! We are a very determined
and hardworking partnership, so we won’t be beaten
by much.
What was your biggest surprise?
I think the biggest surprise wasn’t for us … it was
actually for my Mum and Dad! We hadn’t told them
about the purchase, and once the lockdown
restrictions had been eased, we met them after work
for some fish and chips on the beach. As we finished,
I said to Dad that there was something I knew he’d
love to see (I think he thought this meant the opening
of The Zetland Arms!), but we actually showed them
the cottage. Needless to say they were more than
surprised – and were delighted to be our guinea pig
guests when everything was ready!
What are you most proud of?
I think the lounge has my heart! It’s the place in the
cottage that I keep coming back to, and I am just so
pleased at how the colour scheme and decoration
turned out here. The colours are really peaceful,
and everyone who has stepped foot in here has just
taken a breath and said “wow”, which is surely the
greatest praise you could wish for! With it being the
first room you walk into, it’s also the room that sets
the scene for the whole home, so it’s extra important
to make that first impression a really positive one.
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