How easy is it really to renovate a property from scratch? Property editor Caroline Culot went to see Norwich graphic designer Vish Joory who has just bought a terraced house in need of a complete renovation and restoration.
Vish Joory never intended on embarking on a major property project – it all happened quite by chance. Vish, a self employed graphic designer, lives on York Street in the Golden Triangle in a period terrace on the corner. One day he was talking to the son of an elderly neighbour who said his father was moving out of his Victorian terraced house next door, on Rupert Street.
Vish offered to buy the house and they struck a deal for £155,000. 'The hardest thing was getting a mortgage,' said Vish, who remortgaged his own house to partially finance the new purchase. He then set about thinking how to make the house; a two bedroom terrace, into a three bedroom property to maximiase the rental.
'I took some advice from Proloet property services but, even though I have never done anything like this before, I knew that I needed three bedrooms.' The house was a walk in terrace so, Vish decided to create a third bedroom from the front room downstairs, putting in a stud wall to create a slim hallway. Then an internal wall was taken out to create an open plan kitchen/dining area from the original kitchen and separate dining room.
This forms part of an extension on the rear, probably done in the 1970s, and a flat roof is in need of repair so Vish is going to put in anew one with a skylight.
He has also ripped out the original downstairs dark blue bathroom and will put in a new suite, which will service the downstairs bedroom.
Upstairs are the typical two bedrooms and box room – so Vish is going to make the box room into a bath/shower room. Outside at the front is a small garden which has been cleared and at athe rear, which backs onto Vish' own house, is a tiny courtyard which has access through onto York street where Vish will put in a bike store.
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