In a quiet village nestled within the glorious Vale of Glamorgan countryside, a locally much-loved thatch cottage was looking for an update in January 2022, offering a rare combination of enviable location, oodles of character and the chance to add value by creating a dream home.
This remarkable house is quite rightly categorised by Vale of Glamorgan county council as a 'County Treasure', and is thought to date back to the 17th century. According to community website St Hilary, the cottage appears on the first edition of the ordnance survey map of 1878 as a row of three cottages.
But by 1958 this trio of homes had become a problem, deteriorating into a condemned state and considered an eyesore, located right in the heart of St Hilary village for all to see. According to the Glamorgan County Times in 1958, the cottages were blamed by many as one of the main reasons why the village had not won the D.C Jones Challenge Cup for the 'Best Kept Village in the Vale of Glamorgan'.
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Enter a historic homes hero. Cardiff man Reginald Griffiths took on the three cottages and restored them whilst converting them into one house. It was Reginald and his wife that gave the house its name, Little Hall Cottage.
And the village and local community couldn't have been happier, if the front page headline in the Glamorgan County Times is anything to go by as it gleefully shouted 'Eyesore Vanishes From Vale Village'. Reginald died in 1973 and is buried in St Hilary church grounds, but his second wife Jeannie kept up the work of looking after this county gem.
The Western Mail reported in 2001 that Jeannie Griffiths had the cottage rethatched employing the son of the original thatcher that had been used when the cottages were saved from dereliction. Ian Jones from Coity, Bridgend carefully rethatched the house for four months with the heart-warming thought that his dad John Jones had done exactly the same thing in 1968. Find out more about Ian and his work here.
When the cottage went on the market in 2022 it needed updating to modern standards but the character still remained at the heart of the house thanks to Reginald's thoughtful renovation project. There was plenty to see and fall in love with still here in 2022; the thatch, the stone walls, the substantial fireplaces, the exposed beams, and this charm instantly captivated new owners Natasha, 48, and Mark, 54, both from Cardiff, who were keen to create their dream home.
Natasha says: "The house did need a full renovation and was very dirty as it had been empty for some time, but we were excited when we viewed it and thought it had a lot of potential. And the garden was absolutely full of beautiful plants and flowers all in bloom.
"We thought it was a special property, steeped in history, and has even been on an episode of Doctor Who. We thought it would be an exciting project to breathe some life back into this property rather than let it fall further into disrepair and to see just how much a little (or a lot!) of TLC could make."
As with so many renovation projects Little Hall House turned out to need a lot of TLC, a classic 'onion' property when peeling back layers of the past revealed challenges that could make some people become close to tears.
Natasha says: "Although we purchased the cottage in May, we had to move out of our other property in the September so we were on a very tight schedule indeed. So we had four or five months of pure mayhem with several of the trades often working alongside each other.
"After buying the property initially we needed one skip just to remove the layers of carpets left behind. It was very challenging, and we ended up having 15 skips to remove rubbish.
"We also discovered the previous owners had laid a patio upon a patio so the outside of the property was higher than the inside so when it rained water came in. So we had to pull up the top layer of patio which was a shame as it was quite nice."
But the main issue the couple faced when they moved into the house in late September was having no kitchen until late December.
Natasha says: "We had no way of cooking , washing clothes or even cups - so we had to set up a temporary sink outside. We wanted to give up many times but also knew we needed to see this through to the end and we were in so deep there was no turning back. Also, I think one of the other main challenges had to be accidental damage that was caused as went along with the trades, which we then had to rectify."
Living onsite for the second half of the project had its advantages - being able to be at the house to let the trades in, checking what has been done on a daily basis and not paying rent or a mortgage on two properties, but there was never a break from the renovation for the couple, even after a hard day at work in social services and finance.
Natasha remembers: "It was seven days a week and often we would be working on the property until 10pm in the evening only to return the following day to let the workmen in when we weren't living there; it was exhausting.
Another source of stress was problems in the house caused by a hole in the thatched roof that had been letting in rain for a long time, so getting that fixed and the problems it had caused was a priority. And years of being empty had allowed a tenant called ivy to start overwhelming the building - a dangerous development as the plant can cause structural damage.
Natasha says: "The property was very tired and dated, and the gable end was also covered in ivy with a tree growing out of the stone work. It was very satisfying yet very hard work removing all that ivy."
The couple were also keen to restore and renovate as much of the original property that they could salvage as well as updating the unseen elements of the house to modern day standards, including new wiring, new plumbing including radiators and two new ensuites on the first floor, new boiler and oil tank, damp proofing, new windows and doors in a very pale green colour and a new oak staircase and a new orangery.
Natasha says: "One of the fireplaces was practically closed up with a non-working fire and when we removed it, it revealed another fire behind it. And then another. That was a bit unusual - we were not expecting that. Eventually we were left with a horrible looking hearth and back part to the fire, which builders Envirobuild very cleverly rebuilt again using original stone. It's a lovely feature now with the original 300-year-old oak beam and original pillars."
During the build, the couple were very keen to use as much of the onsite, original material as possible. When they took down an old wall in the garden the stone was used to build the new orangery and there was enough stone left from opening up the fireplace to build a window seat into the bay window offering absorbing views over the pretty garden.
Natasha says: "We kept the original internal doors because of their size and had them dipped and stripped to take off all the old paint, we also had porcelain tiles laid throughout.
"We kept the original beams and sanded them back to their original colour. This was not easy as they had been painted a dark mahogany colour but once sanded they returned to their 'oregon pine' colour. This instantly lifted the vibe of the cottage after sanding, giving a bright and airy feel."
Now the house is finished the couple feel an overwhelming sense of relief as well as being praised by friends and family who think it is an amazing transformation who particularly admire the original characteristics renovated, cleaned and brought back to life.
Natasha says: "My favourite room has to be the downstairs cloakroom - I know it's a strange room to have as a favourite. With its Laura Ashley 'Wisteria' wallpaper, a lovely long vanity unit with a white stone work top and counter top sink, it's like a bit of the garden brought indoors.
"I do also love the kitchen and orangery looking out into the garden .The garden is absolutely picture perfect in the summer, in full bloom. The orangery has really transformed the space, giving a modern feel from the inside but original feel from the outside."
The house can also now boast a utility room as well as a master bedroom that includes an ensuite and a dressing room. The third bedroom is currently being used as a study but the estate agent states that it is 'adaptable as a bedroom if needed'.
Although the couple are so relieved that the renovation is over and they have spent £180,000 bringing the house back to life due to the rising cost of materials, they are both adamant that they will never, ever do a full renovation again.
Natasha says: "We have learnt throughout the renovation everything doesn't always go according to plan. Things do go wrong. Personal items have been ruined, materials don't turn up when they are supposed to, and some get delivered damaged. Then there is the co-ordination of trades and the knock-on effect if one trade runs behind.
"My advice for others thinking of a renovation is - don't do it! Although it is fun and challenging, it was such hard work, co-ordinating everything and all the trades in a certain order. It's ticked off the bucket list and we are happy never to do it again!"
Little Hall House is now on the market for £850,000 with estate agent Harris & Birt, call their Cowbridge branch on 01446 771777 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors – join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter which is sent to your inbox twice a week.
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