H
avingoutgrowntheirchocolate-boxcottage,Helen
Jacksonwasadamantthenextfamilyhomewould
definitelynotbea buildingproject.‘Withtwo
youngchildrenandbusylives,myhusbandPaul
andI weredeterminedtofinda housewecouldmovestraight
into,withtheminimumoffussorupheaval,’Helenrecalls.‘The
thoughtofmessy,dustybuildingworkfilledmewithdread.’
Butafterhuntingfora suitablepropertyinBuckinghamshire,
theydrewa completeblank.‘Wewereallsoattachedtoour
cottage,weknewit wouldbehardtofindanythingtocompare,
particularlysincewe’ddeliberatelyrestrictedoursearchtoa
five-mileradius,’shesays.‘Thispartoftheworldis beautiful.It’s
perfectforPaul’scommuteandthechildrenaresettledhere.’
Aftermanyviewings,onlyonepropertyheldanyappeal.‘This
thatchedhousetickedseveralboxes,includinga largegarden
andgarage,’Helensays.‘Despiteitstranquillocationandviews,
Iwasworried.A renovationonthatscalewouldbea massive
project– justwhatI hadn’twanted.Weagreedit wasn’tforus.’
Monthslater,thesituationtooka twist.‘Avisitfrommyin-laws
coincidedwithanopenweekendatthethatchedhouse,’says
Helen.Viewingthepropertywitha moreopenmind,asthe
Jacksonsstrolledfromroomtoroom,obstacleswerereplaced
withopportunities.‘Webegantofeelexcited,realisingthatthe
houseofferedincrediblepotential,’Helenadds.‘Theshort-term
inconveniencewouldresultina fantasticfamilyhome.’
Havingdiscussedindetailhowbesttoreconfigurethehouse,
thecouplesnappedit upandcontactedanarchitect.‘Weagreed
thatrepositioningwallsonthegroundfloorandincorporating
Crittalldoorsinthelivingroomwouldinjectmuchmorelightand
improvethedownstairsflow,’saysHelen.‘Plus,if webuiltoutat
theback,wecouldcreatea newutilityroomandenlargethe
kitchen.Wealsofelttheatticcouldbea wonderfulplayroom.’
TheymovedinFebruary 2017 andbeganworkwhilewaiting
forplanningpermissionforthegroundflooralterations.The
blackbeamswerestrippedand,onthefirstfloor,thebedrooms
weredecoratedandbathroomsreplaced.‘Thatfirstphasewas
fairlystraightforwardanddidn’tpreparemeforwhatwasto
come,’Helenreveals.‘Whenthestructuralworktoremovewalls
starteddownstairs,I rememberwalkinginattheendofthefirst
dayandbeingaghast.It lookedasthougha bombhadgoneoff.’
Overthenextfewmonths,thecoupleandtheirbuilders
workedtirelessly,bringingtheirvisiontofruitionassmoothly
andquicklyaspossible.‘Itwasreallyhardwork,’Helenrecalls.
‘Westayedina holidaycottageforjustthreeweeksofthesix-
monthproject,butfortherestofthetime,wewereinthehouse.
I becameprojectmanagerbydefaultandwasinundatedwith
builddecisions.’ButbyAugust,theworkwascomplete.
‘Whenembarkingonthisjourney,I dugdeepanddiscovered
that,despiteitsstresses,undertakinga majorbuildprojectis
incrediblyrewarding,’saysHelen.‘Weloveourthatchedhome
anditsramblinggarden,wherewe’reenjoyingmaking precious
memories with Isaac and Emilia as they grow up.’AT HOME WITH...OwnerHelenJackson,
aninteriordesigner,and
herhusband,Paul,whoruns
a corporatefinancebusiness.
Theyliveherewithchildren
Isaac,10,andEmilia,six.The
familymovedherein2017.
HouseAfour-bedroom
detachedthatchedhouse,built
in 1910 and extended in 2011.COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS 31BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTRY HOUSE