May 2017 Restoration of Old Cottage

At the same time as preparing the planning application for the main project we embarked on restoring the private little cottage to turn it our home. It didn’t require planning permission as we were not extending or knocking down walls but it was going to take up to 6 months because the cottage was in terrible condition. During those first few months over winter, accommodation was a tent on floor of a very cold ground! A hot water bottle and multiple layers were just about enough to endure those very cold nights. Once the first task of replacing the traditional roof was complete and the cottage made water tight, we decided to restore the walls of the cottage with thermal insulation. It would be the only building across the retreat complex that would not benefit from under floor heating so it was important to insulate it as much as possible. We replaced all the plumbing and electrics and replaced the old kitchen and bathroom with brand new traditional ones. Finally we replaced the old doors and windows and slowly but surely we our dream little cottage started to evolve. In May 2017 we spent our first night inside and its been our private little hideaway and home ever since.