The stunning before and after transformation of a dated house into a dream family home

If you're looking for a new home then it's definitely worth regularly visiting the WalesOnline property section - no, this is not a sales pitch for the Welsh Homes area of our website but a personal recommendation from two house buyers who have a 'loved it but lost it' story to tell, with WalesOnline coming to the rescue to help them find their renovation dream home.

Ben and Jemima had been house hunting for a while but had been let down a number of times when trying to secure a home in Cardiff. They needed a break from the stress of it all and took a step back from the buying process.

Ben, a 29-year-old engineer from Penarth, remembers: "We had seen the house on Rightmove but didn’t think anything of it until we saw a WalesOnline article gushing about the original features which spurred us on to view the property. My wife viewed the house, fell in love with it and its history and put an offer on it immediately without me seeing it." For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.

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Once Jemima, a solicitor and also aged 29 and from Penarth, had stepped through the front door the waves of wonderful features to find had her smitten. Ben says: "She loves period properties and had never seen a house with so many original features. We finally had our offer accepted on this one, which just goes to show that everything's meant to be!" You're very welcome Ben.

But the hard work of actually finding a home and securing it before someone else snapped it up was only the start of the relationship with this once much-loved home. Ben says: "The house was a treasure trove. We came to learn that the same family had lived in the house for almost a century and the house was overflowing with their history. The state of the house reflected the fact that the house had been practically untouched for a century."

Stuck in the past, dark and dated but oozing character and a history of past love, it was time for an update but one which respected the original features and lavished them with love. Ben says: "In some ways that was amazing because it meant that we had an abundance of gorgeous original features.

"But on the other hand there were only two radiators in the whole house and barely any double glazing which meant there was a fair bit of damp and rot, and a few mice. The coal shed even had coal left in it because all of the fireplaces in the house were still usable."

The day after the sale completed in April 2021 the couple got to work on transforming the house into their home, completely stripping it back to brick and stud walls while most of the ceilings ended up in the skip too.

The house was then treated to a layer upon layer upgrade; electrics, plumbing, plastering, a few walls completely disappearing and a new bathroom and kitchen installed. Ben says the restoration element of the renovation included floorboards, fireplaces, hallway tiles and the door furniture.

The main challenge over the three-year renovation period for the couple was living in a building site for the whole time whilst raising a young family too. But they kept going, Ben says: "We knew the end result would be worth it and we had lots of help and support from family and friends.

"We couldn’t have done it without them. When we came to the end we felt relieved but also excited to do it all over again, we are already looking for our next project."

At the core of the couple's design vision was the home's original features and is something they both feel very passionately about. Ben says: "We felt very strongly about preserving as much of the house’s history as possible. It was heartbreaking to imagine people ripping up the tiled flooring, or ripping out the beautiful fireplaces; those features make the house what it is now.

"But some of the original features sadly couldn’t be preserved, so if the feature has gone, it’s because we had no choice but to remove it. There was a beautiful wooden French door in the second reception room but it was completely rotten and there was also a gorgeous Welsh dresser that had also been destroyed by rot."

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The couple have brought a light, fresh and Scandi vibe to the interior design, pairing it back to white, black and natural materials to create a modern backdrop to ensure the original features sing loudly.

Ben says: "Our interior design style is very minimal. We are heavily inspired by Scandinavian interiors but have tried to tie that in with the age of the house. Where possible we blended old with modern and think that our main aim was to bring the house into the 21st century whilst respecting and honouring its history.

"For example, as well as restoring most of the original features, we have installed column radiators for a more traditional look and used reclaimed bricks from another local renovation project to build a wall in the garden."

When you get to know a house closely as you break it down and then build it back up again it can uncover some delightful hidden gems you weren't expecting. Ben says: "By restoring some of the door furniture we could see the exact Cardiff blacksmith that made it over 100 years ago. Some of the doors still have the original keys and two of the bedrooms still have the original gas lamp fittings on the walls.

"All of the fireplaces had been painted and in most cases the tiles had also been painted. It was so much fun stripping them to find out what was underneath. We think the fireplace surround in the front room is made from slate. It has the most gorgeous green tiles and details of daffodils on the cast iron. It was missing part of the grate but one of our lovely neighbours had the exact piece we needed and very kindly gave it to us.

"It is lovely living in the house now it is finished. During the project we got to know a lot about the family that lived here before us and it was a privilege to restore the house to the same home with original features that it was when they bought it in the 1920s."

But now Ben and Jemima think it's time to move on as their property renovation itch needs scratching again and maybe they'll find their next perfect project written about in the WalesOnline property section once more.

The couple's renovated three-bed terrace in a leafy part of Roath, Cardiff and a short walk to Roath Park and the shops and eateries of Wellfield Road is on the market for £515,000, call Leanne Kent Property, Cardiff on 029 2011 8578 to find out more. Thanks to Leanne Kent Property and Jeffrey Ross, Roath for the use of their photographs. For more property stories join the Amazing Welsh Homes property Facebook group here.

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