This gorgeous Christmassy cottage was made bigger and beautiful by two gifted DIYers

That means they have been juggling work on the house alongside their businesses. Their perfectionist streaks have also involved taking extra time to get everything right.

“That wasn’t easy as the walls are very old and wonky,” says Heather, who explains that the dwellings in their small, tucked-away enclave in a village near Selby were born from a 250 year-old mill that was later converted into railway workers’ cottages.

She and Steve have done much of the work on the house themselves with help from family. A small extension made a big difference at the front of the property and gave them a very stylish utility area and cloakroom separated from the hallways with crittal-style doors that they made themselves after seeing the price of ones they could’ve ordered from specialist manufacturers.

“The neighbours had extended at the front and so we took the idea from them and we knew it wouldn’t be a planning issue,” says Heather, who also painted the uPVC front door in pink Frenchic chalk paint. What was a white plastic door is now often mistaken for a bespoke wood one.

The extension to the rear is sensational and has provided a double bedroom and a separate dining area that is full of light and views thanks to glazed doors leading onto a large garden overlooking fields.

The latest addition is a bedroom suite in the roof space, which has been done just in time for Christmas by Steve with help from Heather’s father and her sister, who are electricians and have also helped fit the kitchen and done the rewiring in the property.

“I’ve always done DIY and I do most of the decorating. Steve is really handy so he does the building work and he is especially good with wood, so, among other things, he made the built-in shelving in the alcoves either side of the chimney breast.

“He also made the oak worktop on the island and he made the beam between the open plan kitchen and living area from old fence posts we had in the garden. It’s not load bearing, it’s there as a feature,” says Heather.

The beam marks the spot where there was once a dividing wall separating the sitting room and what was a bedroom. That was taken out along with the old galley kitchen, which was removed to create a hallway and stairs.

“I like cooking and baking so having a large kitchen area where the bedroom used to be has been great and we also soundproofed that wall and clad it with bricks so that we don’t disturb the neighbours,” says Heather.

The kitchen cabinets are from a local company and the Rangemaster oven was a must-have as were bespoke, open shelves and glass holders designed and made by Steve.

In the sitting area, he exposed the old fireplace and a cosy wood-burning stove was installed, while the surrounding wall was painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue.

The wood panelling from Webster’s timber yard was added to the side walls to create interest and texture and was painted white.

The sofa was an investment item from Sofa.com in York and the long console table was fashioned from a piece of yew and is dog Jim’s favourite sleeping place when he’s not in front of the fire.

There is plenty of wood close at hand to keep the fire burning, thanks to a log store that was fashioned from what was a side entrance into the house.

The dining room walls are painted in Mist from Neptune and Steve made the oak dining table for Heather as a birthday present, along with a bench made from railway sleepers. The radiator cover is also his handiwork.

“We also call this the plant room because it’s where I put most of my houseplants as it’s one of the only places where we have a lot of natural light,” she says.

Much of of the kitchen and dining ware and useful decorative accessories, including storage jars, candleholders, cake stands, cleaning products, rustic baskets, cushions, throws and handmade wooden bowls, to name a few, are from Waney Cottage Co., which was born during the first lockdown of the pandemic when the couple had to close the gym.

“I sell the sort of things I like so they are modern rustic in style and both decorative and useful,” says Heather.

What was a small one bedroom home with a galley kitchen is now a spacious two bedroom, two bathroom home that looks beautiful and works wonderfully. It’s also providing a lovely place to host Christmas for the family.

Heather has trimmed up beautifully with handmade wreaths using foliage from a Christmas tree planted in the garden, along with a handmade garland on the kitchen beam that she decorated with dried oranges.

The decorations on her real tree in the hall are mostly gifts from her parents and she says: “They bought me and my two sisters a decoration each year from when we were little and we each had a shoe box to store them in. It’s lovely because each one of them brings back happy memories.”

*Visit the Waney Cottage Co. store at www.waneycottageco.co.uk.

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