Farmhouse proves its potential

Seasoned renovator Linda Clarke is adept at recognising property potential, so when she spotted a tumbledown farmhouse for sale in the estate village of Hovingham, she was determined to buy it.

She and husband David Kilburn had been searching for a holiday retreat in North Yorkshire for months, but they had to beat off competition to secure the house, which was being sold by the Hovingham estate. There were 84 would-be buyers, but the determined couple beat them to it in spring 2007.

The place was derelict and hadn't been lived in for 18 years, but it was in an amazing spot with wonderful views.

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"I knew it could be a fantastic house. I could visualise it immediately," says Linda, whose main home is near Hull. She started by redesigning the interior space and applied for permission to create a separate entertaining room leading on to a courtyard.

"The house is grade two listed and so planning permission took a while and if we wanted to change anything, we had to apply and wait all over again. It got ridiculous at times. There was an outbuilding we wanted to take down because it wasn't safe and we got planning permission to convert it. Then it fell down and we had to get fresh planning permission to rebuild it."

The project took two years and was, she admits, the most intensive and time- consuming renovation she has ever undertaken. "I've done quite a few renovations here and a finca in Majorca but this was my biggest challenge yet and it took twice as long as I thought it would and cost a lot more.

"It would have been a lot cheaper and easier to knock it down and rebuild it but that wasn't an option and luckily I had

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a fantastic team of people helping me with it. They are all local and did a brilliant job."

The result of their efforts is stunning and the five bedroom/five bathroom house with housekeeper's annexe is full of character and what appear to be original period features. In fact, most of the features have been created with the help of Linda's right-hand man, Albert Thundercliffe, a gifted carpenter and stone carver from Grindale, near Bridlington. The kitchen fireplace looks authentic, but is a Linda and Albert creation, as are the others in the house.

"I wanted a rolled look for the fireplace in the sitting room and we were hunting round a stone yard when we saw the perfect pieces: two old stone drain channels. Albert worked his magic and no-one would ever know what they were originally used for," says Linda

Albert also made the bespoke kitchen units that are painted in Farrow and Ball and crafted the rustic bar and the enormous dining table in the party room. The table was a last minute request and he made it in three days using reclaimed floorboards.

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The panelling, the doors and the windows, which feature glazing bars and heritage glass, were all by Norton Joinery and the soft furnishings by Stitches in Malton. The furniture reveals Linda's passion for antiques, which give the rooms a sense of history.

The wing chairs in the sitting room are Victorian and have been recovered in contemporary fabric, the stag's head

and stone lamps are from Newark antique fairs. Old deeds drawers now double as bedside tables and luggage trunks as side tables.

Her favourite antique hunting is in Newark, though she also adores The Corner Cupboard in Malton. "I worked in the antiques business years ago and like mixing old and new," says Linda, who now helps her husband run family business MKM Building Supplies. She also mixes high end products with bargain buys. The master bedroom's en-suite bathroom screams five-star, top-dollar luxury but although the Porcelanosa tiles and bespoke units were pricey, the bath is from MKM and cost just 300. The taps were 130.

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"It's not always how much you spend that matters. You can often get the look for less. Most of the lamps in the house are TK Maxx and cost about 15 each," says Linda. She also bought a black metal bed frame for 199 for the guest room and had it spray painted in silver so it wouldn't look out of place in a posh bed store. Altogether she spent a serious amount of money on the house, which was bought at the height of the market and came with a building plot. "We could have built another house on the plot, but we decided not to because it would spoil the outlook and privacy of this one, so we're creating more garden space instead," says Linda, who is now selling the property together with everything in it.

"The idea was to maybe semi-retire here, but the recession meant that it was all hands to the pump at work. So we've put that off for a few years and we've also changed our plans. We're now buying a house in London to be closer to grandchildren.

"So even though we have had the most wonderful times here with friends, we now don't use the house enough, which is a shame. I'm sad to see it go, but I'm thrilled with the way it looks and I'd love to see it used as it should be, as a family home."

The house is for sale for 1.65m with Carter Jonas, York. Tel: 01904 558200.

Linda's useful contacts

Builder: Dave Lumley, Sinnington, tel: 01751 432029

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Architect: Tony Harrison, Design4Architecture, Sinnington, tel: 01751 430763, www.design4architecture.com

Carpenter and stonework: Albert Thundercliffe, Grinton, tel: 01262 605071

Windows and doors by Norton Joinery, tel: 1653 692377, www.nortonjoinery.co.uk

Stone supplier: Michael Fenby, Robin Hoods Bay, tel: 01947 880702, www.mjfenby.co.uk

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Building materials, baths and taps from MKM Building Supplies, tel: 01653 696000, www.mksbs.co.uk

Painters: Luxel Decorators & Interiors, Market Weighton, tel: 01430 879399, www.luxel decorators.com and Wayne Hirst, Scarborough, tel: 01723 503047

Antiques: The Corner Cupboard in the Shambles, Malton

Oak flooring from The Oak Flooring Company, Devon, www.theoakfloor.co.uk

Organic Caf and Store, Park Street, Hovingham for keeping us well-fed during the renovation, www.mcconnellthomas.co.uk

YP MAG 17/7/10

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