Our Story.

We’re Lee and Jen, and our adventure began in 2017 when we purchased our charming but dated cottage, built in 1915 by the previous owner’s father. She had lived here her entire life, and while it was tidy on the surface, it was in desperate need of a modern touch. Naïvely, we thought we could tackle the renovation ourselves with little knowledge and zero skills.

The cottage came with two large outbuildings, which we foolishly imagined converting into a kitchen extension and a gym. How wrong we were! Adding to the challenge, there was no on- or off-road parking. Our only option was a layby 100 meters down a dark, unlit country lane with no pavement. But still that didn’t deter us; we naively believed we could just create a driveway, chop down the hedges, and solve the problem. Idiots or fearless—I’ll let you decide!

Seven years in, we’ve gutted, rebuilt, extended, decorated, and transformed this house beyond recognition. Did we get that driveway? You’ll have to read on to find out. When we say we’ve rebuilt the cottage, we often say when starting something new, “Trigger’s Broom!”— it has definitely had a few new handles and heads.

Follow our journey if you have a project of your own, need some advice, or just want to know you’re not alone in the chaos. From tears to triumphs, sweat to satisfaction, we’ve faced our share of stress and breakdowns. And with two young children added to the mix in 2018 and 2020, we’ve definitely earned our wrinkles and bald patches!