Good prospects in Whitby

After almost two years of searching for a holiday home in Whitby, Kate Sharpe was suffering from property fatigue.

“I spent hours trawling the internet and looking in estate agents’ windows and we almost bought but there were issues with the properties and so I’d just about decided that it wasn’t meant to be,” she says.

She had almost given up hope when she spotted Rooftops Cottage. Down one of Whitby’s characterful yards, it certainly looked the part outside. Inside, its Tardis-like proportions were a big surprise. The ground floor had a large sitting room and kitchen and on the first and second floors, were three bedrooms and a bathroom. It also had a coal cellar with access from inside the house.

“Our home in Retford is quite modern so I wanted the quintessential seaside cottage and this was it. It had the beams but it was also very roomy and had a lot of potential,” she says. “It all happened very quickly. I came straight down to see it, reported back to my husband Matt and put an offer in straight away, which was accepted.”

The couple bought the house in December 2009 and with the help of her father Robert, an electrical engineer and keen DIYer, Kate set about modernising and extending. It took eight months and the first job was to find local contractors and suppliers.

“I didn’t know where to start but I spotted a house nearby that was being done up and asked to look round. That’s how I found Stuart Brown, a cabinet maker, who is fantastic. He then recommended other tradespeople,” says Kate, who made the four-hour round trip twice a week to oversee the project.

The1970s panelling, internal doors, stairs, radiators and windows were all ripped out to make way for cottage-style fittings. The fire, which was just a square hole in the wall, was replaced with a wood burning stove and a proper fireplace made from reclaimed bricks and a beam that Kate found at Fenby’s reclamation yard.

The kitchen, which had a toilet in one corner, was completely revamped. The units came from Howdens and Matt came up with the idea of creating bench seating with hidden storage. The bespoke cushions are made with striped linen from the Natural Curtain Company.

The cellar, reached via a wooden step ladder, was tanked and converted and is now a TV and games room with its own loo and storage. It’s been a bolt hole for Kate’s sons, Joshua, 22, and George, 16.

“It was quite an expensive job but well worth it because it’s certainly been very well used and it gave everyone their own space,” says Kate.

Upstairs, the first floor rooms were redecorated and a new bathroom installed, while the second room was transformed into a master bedroom with en-suite and roof terrace..

“The top room has seen the biggest change and has the most ‘wow’ factor,” says Kate. “There was a door out onto a fibreglass roof with no railings before so we’ve decked it and put railings round and it’s a wonderful place to sit out and look at the rooftops and the harbour

The bedroom has views of the abbey and they treated themselves to electric blinds to make the most of it.

“It was Matt’s idea. It’s nice to be able to press a button in the morning and see the view. Plus, the sun can be quite bright so now I don’t have to read the Sunday papers with my sunglasses on.”

She and her father painted the house from top to bottom. It’s largely neutral with colour from pictures and soft furnishings. Kate loves fabric and her inspiration comes from magazines and TV. “The fabric in the sitting room was on the set of This Morning and I spent ages tracking it down to Nina Campbell. I also spent hours on the internet looking for the curtains in Maria’s house on Coronation Street.”

Most of the furniture and furnishings are from Whitby, as is the art work but most impressive is the memorabilia from the Heartbeat props auction, staged when the TV series folded. Kate and Matt bought the Ashfordly Council noticeboard, the magistrates court sign and the road sign.

“I loved Heartbeat, especially when they filmed in Whitby,” says Kate.

While some holiday homes lie empty for weeks on end, Kate and her family have made the most of their cottage, spending holidays and three out of four weekends there. They have seen Whitby evolve since they discovered it 10 years ago. Alongside old favourites like Bothams bakers, there are new restaurants and a champagne bar.

The couple have also fallen in love with another property, although they can’t bear to part with their cottage, which is why they are renting it as a five-star holiday let.

“It’s a lovely, cosy cottage and after all we’ve done I didn’t want to sell it,” says Kate. “So we thought we’d let other people share it.”

Rooftops sleeps seven. Contact Yorkshire Coastal Cottages, www.yorkshirecoastalcottages.com, tel: 0845 0682020.

Kate’s useful contacts

MJ Fenby reclamation yard, Robin Hood’s Bay, www.mjfenby.co.uk

Frank Sutcliffe Gallery, Flowergate, www.sutcliffe-gallery.co.uk

Whitby Galleries, Church Street, www.whitbygalleries.com

Artist John Freeman’s Studio, Market Place , www.johnfreemanstudio.co.uk

J’adore Home & Gifts, Market Place, Whitby

R Agar & son, Flowergate, furniture, www.agarsfurnishers.com

La Maison Home, Flowergate , Whitby

MKM Whitby - all of the en suite, external doors, www.mkmbs.co.uk

Wilf Noble Builders Merchants, Ruswarp, for building materials, www.wilfnobleconstruction.co.uk

Cowen Windows, Whitby, www.cowenwindows.co.uk