A House for all Seasons

Elaine rejuvenated a pretty coastal house, making a wonderful home that offers comfort and joy to her family and friends all year round.

Elaine’s home is a house that’s perfect for all seasons, situated in a cul-de-sac at the end of Bray’s seafront, it’s certainly a wonderful summer house, but it really comes into its own at Christmas time. The generous sized dining and living room provide plenty of room for a festive lunch with friends and family and the open fire plays a key role in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, so it’s the perfect house for Christmas festivities. ‘As the house is located so near the seafront, when we have finished our long leisurely lunch there is no excuse for not taking a brisk walk along the beach, it’s all that’s needed to blow the cobwebs away and recharge the batteries to get you into party mode again,’ laughs Elaine.

When Elaine viewed this house over twenty years ago, it was the spectacular sea views that instantly appealed to her. Although the location was perfect and the house retained its elegant façade, inside it was in a poor state of repair. The house was divided into two flats and had suffered from years of neglect, with ceilings collapsing, wet rot, dry rot and rising damp, all requiring a huge amount of work. ‘I could see the potential that the house had to offer but I didn’t have an endless pot of money, so intended to make sure I did the most important jobs first, and gradually tackle the more cosmetic jobs over time.’ Elaine employed an architect to project manage and a team of builders for about six months, as much of the house had to be gutted, ‘I had to replace ceilings, re-plaster, re-wire, I re-modelled the first floor return and took down the wall between the dining room and sitting room.’

Read more in the December issue…