Globe-trotting financial planner shares secrets of incredible Georgian lodge renovation she bought during lockdown
When Tracey Casari opened the front door to view the £500,000 period home she had spotted online she was greeted not by Georgian charm but by mould, sealed fireplaces and a wall that previous owners had knocked down without so much as a supporting beam.
“I was amazed the house hadn’t crumbled,” she says.
For many buyers, it would have been a deal-breaker. For Tracey, inset, it was the beginning of the biggest renovation she has ever attempted.
The 64-year-old financial planner, who lives in Singapore, bought The Lodge, a Grade II listed Georgian property near Richmond, in the summer of 2020. At the time, she was living with her brother during lockdown and searching online for somewhere in North Yorkshire that could become a base for her when she was in the UK. “I knew if I bought something already renovated, I’d still want to change it,” she says. “So I went looking for a project. And this was it.”
What she found was a former bed and breakfast that had grown tired and damp. Fireplaces were hidden under pine and tiles, walls were stripped of panelling, and one bedroom had a hearth sealed up with concrete. Even the front hall had been compromised, the corridor wall torn down to leave an empty gap leading to the dining room. “Inside the house, there was nothing worth keeping,” Tracey says. “I’ve ended up putting character back in, not taking it out.”
She is no stranger to renovation. Over the years she has restored properties in Spain, built a house from scratch in South Africa and worked on homes in Switzerland, where she lived for decades. But The Lodge was her most ambitious yet. Planning permission alone took more than two years, with applications delayed by the pandemic and council staff changes. “That’s my big bugbear about the UK,” she says. “Everybody’s paper-pushing. You’d think during Covid they could have looked at plans from home, but instead we waited and waited.”
Eventually, she secured approval for three extensions: a new porch, a breakfast room to double the size of the kitchen, and an orangery games room. She also fought to replace unsuitable windows and introduce solar panels, though permission was denied to make the glazing more energy efficient.
Tracey had a clear vision from the start, writing a seven-page document setting out what she wanted for each room. She considered three different architects but found the right partner in Armine Sutton, of Ormerod Sutton Architects. “Armine saw straight away what I wanted to do,” says Tracey.
Together, they restored period features and added new ones. “All the fireplaces were awful,” Casari says. “We put in big Yorkshire limestone surrounds, how they would have looked originally. We added panelling in every room. In the hallway, we rebuilt the wall as a Georgian-style arch.”
Downstairs, limewash on the walls helped the building breathe again after long-standing damp problems.
The new breakfast room has transformed the once gloomy kitchen, bringing in light and space. The orangery, visibly modern in contrast to the Georgian style, has become one of her favourite spots in the house. “Even if it’s raining, it feels cosy,” she says.
The build was far from smooth. The first contractor proved unreliable, stretching a nine-month project into two years. Armine stepped in to monitor progress in Tracey’s absence, visiting every few weeks to keep things on track.
Despite setbacks, The Lodge is now complete. For Tracey, who divides her time between Spain, Singapore, Switzerland and England, the four bedroom house is already fulfilling the purpose she imagined during lockdown: a place where her scattered family can gather.
Family life fills the house year-round, with gatherings that grow even bigger at Christmas when brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews come to stay. “There’s a bed for everyone,” Tracey says. “That’s what I wanted.”
The interiors reflect her taste – minimal in places but always punctuated by art. Tracey is a keen collector, bringing back paintings and sculptures from her travels. “I like combining old and new,” she says. Her favourite space is the snug she calls the television room, probably once a library. “It’s so cosy,” she says. “I love spending time there.”
Even the frustrations have not put her off. “Overall, I wouldn’t change anything,” she says. “It turned out really well.”
Tracey expects to retire in the next couple of years, but she says The Lodge will remain her Yorkshire anchor.
*If you are interested in tackling your own build project, you’ll find lots of good advice and ideas at the annual Northern Homebuilding and Renovating Show, which is taking place at the Harrogate Convention Centre from October 31 to November 2.
The organisers of show are offering free e-tickets to Yorkshire Post readers. Visit homebuildingshow.co.uk/pr-yorkshirepost.
The show offers advice from experts on subjects ranging from planning, budgets and self-building to energy efficiency and kitchen design, along with an array of new and innovative products.