Introduction
Firstly I'll introduce myself, Hi, I'm George. I'm a mum of four, wife and two time fluffy dog mum, as well as co founder of OTy Oak Homes along with my husband James. We began working together after renovating our first home back in 2011, an 1800's Kent farm workers cottage. We transformed the run down two up two down cottage into a spacious three bedroom family home where we welcomed our children, dogs and family for many memorable moments, gatherings and parties.
Our First Flip
Having learnt a lot from our own build and James' new found love of traditional oak framing and renovation, we bought our first property to flip. It was a 1950's semi detached with little character. Our goal with this house was to flip, sell and make a successful profit. We didn't add much in the way of character but gave it a fresh, clean look and successfully sold it to a first time buyer.
After completing this property James concentrated on his Oak Framing business. James spent 5 years mastering his craft whilst I completed a nursing degree. During this time, we successfully gained planning permission to extend our farm workers cottage, building an oak framed barn at the back of the cottage, allowing us to add a third bedroom, with a walk in wardrobe and en-suite as well as a family lounge. This extension made it possible for us to stay in our first house much longer than we had thought. Knowing that we wanted to take what we had learnt during this time into a new business, working together, we founded OTy Oak Homes.
Oak Tree Cottage
In 2018, whilst I finished my nursing degree and James continued to grow his Oak Framing business, we purchased a plot of land and built a beautiful three bedroom detached oak framed home, which we later named 'Oak Tree Cottage'. It took two years, we loved every moment of designing and building it and successfully sold Oak Tree Cottage in 2020.
Moving to the Kent Downs
As the housing market changed and plots became less fruitful we made the decision to find a larger home for us meaning we would sell our beloved 1800's cottage and buy a run down 1960's chalet bungalow further into the Kent countryside. We knew the house would be extended and renovated so it was all about the location. Sitting on top of the Kent Downs, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with beautiful views over the south coast and walks for miles, we made the leap into one of our longest projects yet.
The 1960's Chalet Bungalow Transformation
This self build project will see the 1960's three bedroom chalet bungalow transformed into a five bedroom, four bathroom, four reception room. The primary suite will host a balcony with covered terrace below where we can enjoy an outdoor rag stone fire place. Oh and did I mention, all whilst living in it!!! Yes, we are that enthusiastic about renovation and building that we lived and are still living amongst it!
It took nearly a year to achieve a successful planning application with many phone calls and emails between myself the architects and planning officer. After rationalising the design concept and explaining the materials we would use they agreed we could move ahead with the build.
We could have knocked the existing bungalow down, helping us with the build costs and claiming the VAT back however we would have had to build on the footprint of the original house and find somewhere to live whilst doing it! Fortunately the house had an existing flat-roofed garage attached so this was counted in the footprint allowing us to add extensions at both ends, this meant only one would be seen as an extension. We have also extended the front and back of the property, wrapping the entire bungalow with a new house. This has enabled us to live on site very comfortably inside the new build. Now we have the task of adding the new rooms to the existing bungalow whilst renovating some of the old ones.
Room by Room
Our first room to renovate was a family bathroom as there was only a shower room. We decided to turn the third bedroom into a large family bathroom. This room had velux windows that you could not see out of so naturally felt more like a bathroom than a bedroom however we needed this bedroom for our daughter so we renovated a lounge into a bedroom, this will become an office once Olivia's new bedroom in one of the extensions is complete.
Building this way has meant lots of small intricate decisions have to be made. This is where James and I work so well together. Don't get me wrong, sometimes there are artistic differences but overall we find a way through them!
It took over a year to complete the outside, we used Stone Masons to build Kent tradtional Kent rag stone walls, and chimney. We paired this with a Crittall style aluminium windows for a low maintenance home. James' beautiful Oak porch and weatherboard brings wonderful character to this 1960's chalet bungalow renovation, we also replaced the old concrete tiles with reclaimed handmade clay tiles that already have a weathered finished allowing the house to blend into its natural surroundings.
"Our style has always been traditional in design with modern elements and comforts, whilst choosing low maintenance beautiful materials. My ethos is to 'Live beautifully', whether that means taking a walk and enjoying the location you live in, cooking a delicious meal for your family and friends to enjoy or making a home that gives you a space you can't wait to relax in!"
Our Design Philosophy
Life is stressful for most and having moments like this to enjoy has always felt important to James and I. Using sustainable European oak allows us to design homes that soften into their surroundings whilst adding charm and character to new build properties. James and I spend many hours discussing details and design ideas to achieve beautiful finishes for our clients and our own homes.
The goal for this property is to create a family home with space. Our children are varying in ages starting with our fifteen year old daughter, Olivia, all the way down to our youngest, three old, Rupert. We would like our home to feel warm, beautiful and homely, somewhere everyone can enjoy and make special memories. This Christmas we had 17 of us in a newly renovated room where James had completed a stunning oak board and beam ceiling stained in an oak smoked oil. We opted for moody 'ink' coloured walls from Neptune, on a rough plastered finish. We only had a screeded floor, although still cozy as its underfloor heated. I threw a rug down, put our extendable dining table on it and made the most of the extra space we had created for a special family Christmas.
Looking Forward
We plan on finishing this side of the house so we have a useable home whilst we close the other side off and knock down the existing back wall. This first phase consists of a lounge, utility room that can double up as a kitchen whilst the other is out of action, two bedrooms and an en-suite. It's going to be a process, but we're ready for it, sort of!! James continues work for our clients whilst renovating the inside of our property on evening and weekends.
We have maintained our design style through the years. Traditional Kent buildings have always inspired us. In this new blog series I will discuss how we incorporate traditional Kent architecture and new modern designs into our country home. Finding ways to incorporate our design ideas into our budget whilst using new and old pieces to build a fort we love coming home to.