I'm an expert in renovation and this is what most people get wrong
When you pick up the keys to a new home, filled with excitement and anticipation, it's tempting to immediately begin to change the building but the advice from property expert Hilton Marlton is that, if possible, it's much better to wait and understand the building before you rip it apart, especially if your new abode is a period property.
Hilton, who has been renovating and restoring properties for clients for decades, says it's one of a number of aspects of a renovation that people get wrong and, if it is possible, living in a home before changing that home is the one of the key pieces of advice he is keen to pass on after his many years of reviving, restoring and extending properties.
It's advice Hilton, an historical building expert and interior designer, has followed himself in his own home, the truly stunning Pant y Ffynnon, a 1796 Welsh farmhouse that he has spent decades painstakingly restoring into a dream home effortlessly worthy of featuring in glossy magazines including World of Interiors. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Welsh rugby star and Olympian wife on the 'panic' and 'hardest period' in their lives renovating an old farmhouse
If you've recently bought, or are thinking of buying a period property, rundown Welsh farmhouse, empty chapel or abandoned cottage or longhouse, Hilton's advice is extremely valuable, but the majority of his pointers for renovation success are applicable to more modern homes too.
Get to know your building
When you fall in love with a period Welsh property it's usually because of the ambience it exudes and the features on offer. Maybe the light and space combined with the potential to renovate has you head over heels, but Hilton says before doing anything you need to hear the building.
He explains: "Buildings have their own language, they have their own vocabulary and you need to understand that language because it’s completely different to the language of modern buildings.
"Wales has got amazing vernacular buildings - farmhouses, chapels - they are an incredible stock of buildings. It is really exciting because here we have a linguistic culture that’s being recelebrated, we are embracing it and understanding how important that is, and we need to do that for its buildings as well - we now understand and celebrate the importance of language, let’s do that for our buildings too.
"We visit a place, we fall in love with it and then we start imagining how we will be living in that building including things we don’t like about the building and the danger is we then start to impose solutions onto it before we even understand what the building is capable of, and that’s the first problem.
"Yes, it has to function in the 21st century but how do you do that? It’s when you understand the language of that building that you’re going to get an amazing result, and that comes from understanding the limitations of an old building and adapting to it."
If possible, living in a building before you start changing it is the starting point. This helps to understand its light sources and how they change, the flow of the spaces and how they relate to the history of the building, and even down to the materials and methods used to construct the building - it's preferable to get to know your building before any work begins.
Use expert architect
Hilton wants people to have an understanding of their new home so to feel empowered to make choices that are right for them and the building, but he advises that this also takes the assistance of experts in traditional buildings.
Property renovation of an older building is wider than a quick and basic make-over that so many property TV programmes feature, it is about restoration and conservation too, especially when it comes to Wales' more historic buildings.
The project needs to be treated carefully by a conservation architect which, Hilton says in his experience, is not any more expensive to engage than a commercial architect, he says as many conservation architects are partnerships or sole traders they have less overheads and might even be more cost effective.
He says: "If we can start empowering people to understand the basic language of older buildings they will know the best things to do for it - they’ll find the right builders, they’ll find the right architects and designers that are passionate, who love older buildings."
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: A unique row of rundown rural cottages going to auction is a rare find
Find the right tradespeople
One way Hilton advises people to research finding the right people to work on a renovation project is via organisations such as Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who have a register of members that include specialist conservation architects.
In addition, seek out the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and the Historic Environment Service Provider Recognition (HESPR), plus plug into the network of specialist tradespeople in Wales who are skilled in more traditional building and conservation methods via specialist companies such as the Tywi Centre and Ty-Mawr Lime, who can even train you to do some of the work yourself.
Use appropriate materials
Researching and knowing the age and construction of your building comes into play when choosing renovation and restoration materials, Hilton says: "Buildings from 1914 onwards will usually have a damp proof courses and cavity walls - they are constructed using modernist principles but before that properties are generally built on traditional principles, there's no poured concrete footings and foundations, they are rubble, so moisture rises gently through the buildings.
"One example of appropriate material is the use of limewash, a traditional building's 'raincoat'. Years ago the majority of buildings were limewashed and the colours of Wales were vivid - there were ochres, reds, greens and even some blue but it looked beautiful.
"Now it’s more rendering and pointed stone with cement and on a rainy grey day they look dull, but 150 years ago they looked bright and, seeing it on a sunny day or in the snow, now makes your heart sing. One of my missions is to get people to embrace the fun of limewashing a building - it’s a tradition that we’ve all but lost here."
With the advent and explosion of the internet and social media Hilton says there is a whole generation of informed building owners coming through who understand the breathability of a building, honouring the construction method of building with lime, making it an exciting time for saving and reviving Wales' remaining stock of historic buildings.
Modern extensions
Adding extra accommodation to a historic building can be a challenge and Hilton says it takes careful thought and is where using a conservation architect can assist. He says: "With a modern extension ask yourself, 'what are we starting with building wise, what is it made of, and what was its purpose, who lived in it and how did they live in it?' They are basic questions and then you can work out what can be changed that’s not going to change the importance of that building."
Hilton says you can create an extension that can look part of the original building by honouring the materials used and researching appropriate finishes, citing extensions he has worked on that flow from the older, main building into the new space seamlessly both in layout and visual interiors.
But Hilton says a modern extension can be a wonderful addition too. For example he worked on a cottage that needed an extra staircase so built an external triple glazed glass tower 'box' onto the rear of a cottage to house a new, traditionally designed staircase - a marriage of old and new but using glass as the link to the past.
The idea of using traditional materials is one that Hilton is passionate about too. He says: "To decrease the carbon footprint, why not think about using timber over concrete, cement and steel? People say they don’t last, well that’s rubbish - go to St Fagans National Museum of History and some of the buildings there are 800 years old and still going strong!"
Timeless décor
Hilton is an experienced interior designer who can create special spaces in battered and then restored Welsh buildings - his own home is testament to that, and he has advice for the style of a period home for anyone who wants to create an authentic and genuine interior - think timeless.
He says: "You drive through London and it's full of skips full of dated, ripped out kitchens, bathrooms and interiors from the past. All of the jobs I’ve done, without exception, we’ve had to spend money undoing all the things that were done to the building in the 60s and 70s, 80s and 90s - at least a quarter of the budget spent on skips and landfill tax - the legacy is huge and costly."
Hilton does, of course, acknowledge that a homeowner can create whatever interior they desire and jump onto the latest trends, but also advises people to think of the future when choosing what goes into their period property in the present. He says if you jump on current, short-term trends the cycle of commercialism in property continues when, in 10 years time, the décor you have chosen starts to look tired and needs ripping out again.
It's a principle that some people might struggle to totally get on board with, but just looking at Hilton's own house, especially the kitchen and bathroom, illustrates how interiors can be done in a timeless and tasteful way that can be changed piece by piece over the years - more sustainable and less skips.
Hilton says: "There is some fantastic design going on at the moment that is undoubtedly 2024 and when it is timeless and classic it will last but some is poorly made and doesn’t last. In my kitchen for example I will never need to change much - it's not fitted and it works - so why not have the approach that you can impose your own aesthetic on things but not so permanently, so you can change things in a sustainable way."
Hilton's advice is to recycle and upcycle where possible, not just because it is more sustainable and looks effortlessly appropriate in older buildings but also because it is very budget friendly too, with Hilton saying he has furnished the whole of his current home for less than £2,000.
Look to the future
Hilton says there's no need to spend a huge amount of money on décor, just choose classic and iconic timeless design, such as a classic sofa and just change the cushions when you want a refresh. He says: "It’s about looking beyond the recent trends and rather looking 50 years down the line - what we do today, is it going to be a cost to somebody tomorrow?
"Will your grandchildren have to spend a lot of money to adapt it to their lives in 50 - 100 years time, as we are having to do now with buildings from the 60s and 70s? We should be renovating and designing sustainable spaces for our children and grandchildren, and if we do that we are then leaving a positive legacy rather than a legacy of them having to deal with dated buildings.
"The beauty, the value and the principals of Welsh buildings dictate a renovation, and when we get it right it shows, like when you’re driving through a Welsh village and see a building that’s been beautifully restored, it just sings."
Hilton's beautifully restored Welsh farmhouse is now for sale. Find out more here and follow Hilton on Instagram here.
For more property and renovation stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.
Find your own auction property here: