Making a house your home

Period property expert Dominic Arnold explains how Cocoon Property all began

In the 1990s, having recently bought a pile of bricks loosely resembling a Victorian pub deep in the Sussex countryside with my new wife and our six-month old baby, we engaged a large building firm to take on the refurbishment. In need of total redevelopment, we asked them to oversee the lot.

What an eye opener that was. We were plagued by all the typical problems that can be associated with this kind of project. After two months of frustration and pain, we decided enough was enough: we paid the contractor what was due and took the project on ourselves. How hard could it be?

“Sensitively preserving the fabric of buildings, while making them beautiful spaces to live”

Ridiculously. It was like juggling with badly behaved kittens. We unluckily encountered tradesmen that had no sensitivity to our timetable or vision. It became apparent quite soon on that in order to run the project efficiently we would need access to like-minded professionals who shared our passion for period property, all willing to stick to agreed schedules. In the end it meant learning how to do most jobs ourselves: what a baptism of fire. What started off as a six-month project took four years and probably cost double the agreed contract with the original building firm.

But you can learn a lot in four years about how a period property is built, how to look after it and how to improve it. Those first few years inspired us to take on more houses, developing and improving them for resale; after several years, focusing on sensitively preserving the fabric of buildings, while making them beautiful spaces in which to live, Cocoon Property was born (with access now, I’m pleased to say, to a brilliant, professional and above-all courteous team of tradesmen).

As a result I’m now passionate about period property, which many of us here in Brighton and Hove are so very fortunate in which to live. I say fortunate being aware not everyone is so enamored about living in draughty, inefficiently heated houses that seem to be in constant need of repair, maintenance and the kind of TLC usually reserved for an ageing pet. I remember a friend explaining that if one is lucky enough to buy a classic car you can expect to spend a thousand pounds a year keeping it in the condition in which you first acquired it (and that’s before making any improvements); it’s pretty much the same for a Victorian house except that you may part with a little more than just a grand a year for its upkeep.

However, some of us believe it to be worth it. Modern buildings rarely inspire, unless bespoke or on a grand scale, with their often formulaic, economically-driven design; so for us to share in the Victorians’ sense of form and practicality is for myself at any rate a privilege. This isn’t saying that their design was perfect for this day and age. Many modern requirements were never even considered over a century ago when Victorian houses were first built; we do a lot more bathing, laundry and cooking now and these activities can have a significant impact on the very fabric of a period property.

So, over the next few months we’ll be discussing various topics to do with the period homes in which many of us love to live and the inherent expensive perils and pitfalls we’d all like to avoid. Articles coming up include heating, loft conversions, kitchen extensions, energy efficiency, property auctions, maximising space, vintage design and more, in which we aim to help save you time and money, and ensure your home is as beautiful and efficient as possible. Next week sees Latest Homes featuring loft conversions and we’ll be offering some tips on how to get the most out of your builder and what to do before you’ve even opened up the loft hatch.

Dominic Arnold
Dad to three, husband to one, MD of Cocoon Property Ltd, Brighton:
specialising in full-house refurbishments, eco-retrofit, loft conversions, kitchen extensions (side returns), interior design and condensation control. 01273 556800
www.cocoonproperty.co.uk
Follow me on twitter: @PropDom