F
or some, a major renovation or self-build
project is a daunting task – arguably one of
the biggest challenges they’ll face. Yet for
Athena Hubble and husband Mark, their latest
undertaking is the latest in a line of successful
projects.
Athena’s love for restoring period
properties began when she bought her first
house at the age of 19. “I was always tinkering
with it, I started taking up floorboards and
uncovering things and I got the bug,” she says.
“It was just lovely to find stuff and make the
most of it.”
Since that first foray Athena has undertaken
five further projects. Whenever looking for the
next one, she asks herself three questions: “‘do I
like the area, has the property got ‘good bones,’
and has it got potential?’ The rest you can make
happen, it’s just a matter of time and effort,” she
explains.Her latest project is an 1800s cottage in rural
West Sussex that had seen three generations of
“horrendous” extensions added in the 1960s,
70s and 90s. It had been owned by an elderly
couple and so, explains Athena, “was
desperately old and things had been building
up over time. The roof was sagging, there was
damp in the walls.”
The main attraction for Athena and Mark was
the location. Not only was it closer to her family,
it also achieved the right balance for the couple.
They were moving from a “small property very
close to the sea” and “wanted to be in sight of
the water but with a little bit more of a rural
feel,” she says. The house backs on to Pagham
Harbour and is surrounded by a nature reserve.LIMITATIONS
Although it was appealing, the location also
presented a few challenges. Being situatedORGANIC MATERIALS
The previously white extensions
have now been covered with
larch claddingThe world of home improvement is nothing new to Athena and Mark,
but their latest project renovating a house to help it nestle into a
Sussex nature reserve proved a challenge
TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES RICHARD CHIVERS
BACK TO NATURE
CASE STUDY
64www.sbhonline.co.uk july/august 2019