Daggle Cottage

Daggle Cottage: Re-modelling of kitchen and living room

Although Clare and David Thomas always adored their ‘chocolate box’ cottage in West Sussex, the couple felt the interior was lacking the ‘Wow!’ factor – that is until The Martin Sewell Building Company came to the rescue, giving the property a stunning facelift.

The pair bought the pretty cottage in the heart of Aldingbourne in 1993, and over the last ten years have sympathetically modernised several areas.

Clare explains: “Our home is deceptively large. It’s three properties knocked into one and actually has around 5,000 square feet of floor space.

“Until recently, when you walked through the front door, you were confronted by an unimpressive dark hall and a jumble of small, rather claustrophobic rooms. The interior was uninspiring and didn’t reflect the size of the house at all.”

After deciding that a dramatic improvement to the ground floor layout was required, Clare contacted The Martin Sewell Building Company – the firm they’d used for previous renovation work.

Having liaised with Helyer Davies Architects, plans were drawn up and consequently approved for a radical transformation to create a fabulous light-filled space with one room leading seamlessly into another.

“The main objective was to open up the hall, living room and kitchen and inject both the ‘Wow!’ factor and contemporary feel that we yearned for,” Clare explains.

“We had plenty of floor space but needed to make this more functional. We also wanted somewhere to put a dining table for family meals and entertaining. We loved the architect’s suggestion of removing part of the wall and fireplace in the living room to gain both easier access into the kitchen and a more open-plan look. We were also impressed with the idea of incorporating large, glazed, sliding doors and new windows at the rear, leading out to our garden.”

In January 2013, work began with contracts manager David Kuchanny spearheading the project. Soon the living room ceiling and fireplace were removed, walls knocked down, the floor taken up and three large steels installed.

Everything went according to plan and within five months, the project was finished.

"We are thrilled with the renovation,” says Clare. “We’re so fond of our home and feel that this latest renovation has not only retained the essence of the cottage but also enhanced its charm and brought it stylishly into the 21st Century. David and his team really cared and this shines through in the quality of the build and attention to detail.

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Martin and his team to anyone looking for a first-class builder. In fact, I’ve already done so to my family and friends.

Martin’s tradesmen were efficient, polite, friendly and always willing to go that extra bit further to ensure that their work was as good as it could possibly be.”

In more than 30 years of rebuilding and refurbishing houses – both professionally and in my own homes – I’ve never come across a better builder. I have no doubt that the value we’ve added to our house comfortably exceeds the amount we’ve spent. And if we ever have another building project, the first call we make will be to Martin.”

David Thomas