When we bought the house, we discovered it was cited as an example of housing Westminster Council wanted rid of, as it blighted the street in a conservation area.

 

Buying the worst house in the best street is a common practice amongst those who renovate, but this was a substantial project as we had to remove the front of the house on the ground floor level.

The house was on four floors and included a basement, which had to be tanked as there are many old waterways running underneath Marylebone. Although it was a Georgian terrace, it was not listed, as it had been so altered over the years and had no original features, so we set about giving it some character and interest.

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The entire staircase had to be reconstructed, new floors installed throughout, a 2m x 2m skylight craned over the house (which meant closing the road), rewiring, replumbing, and everything in between.

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We installed the first kitchen designed by Sebastian Cox for Devol, which was beautifully made from English beech using copper handles. It is still on the Devol website as "The Marylebone Kitchen."

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Four floors mean entirely different (and complicated) fire regulations, as there needs to be a fireproof exit from the top floor. We learned a lot about building regulations on that job, and my advice is: always use a private company to advise you on what you can and cannot do. It may cost more, but it will save a lot of problems.