Having moved thirteen times in five years, Chris Hammond and his wife Georgina know a few things about flips. When they encountered a 5 bedroom, semi-detached property in central Tunbridge Wells in need of complete renovation, they didn’t think twice about taking it on. The result of their hard work is a stunning, modern family home in one of the most desirable locations in the country.
A sought after location
The house is located on a leafy street just south west of Tunbridge Wells town centre. ‘It has got a really good primary school close and all along the road are families,’ says Chris. Claremont Primary School, which is only a five minute walk away, is rated as Outstanding by Ofsted. The station and the historic centre are in walking distance of the property. If that wasn’t enough, Tunbridge Wells is also the 5th happiest place to live in Great Britain.
Renovating the house
The house is made up of five bedrooms, two en-suites, a family bathroom, living room, kitchen-diner, playroom, utility room, cloakroom and a large south facing garden.
What works did they do to the property? ‘Literally everything,’ Chris says. ‘The only original part of the property left is 3/4 of the front elevation wall and half of the back elevation wall.
‘It was doubled in size with a loft conversion and side and rear extension. It has a completely new roof and has been re-plumbed, re-wired, plastered and painted.’
A new kitchen, new bathrooms and new flooring was also installed.
During the rips out, Chris and Georgina discovered that the existing roof timbers were rotting and were forced to remove the whole roof.
‘We had originally thought we could keep the front pitch,’ says Chris. ‘The take down sequencing was also difficult due to it being semi detached.’
His biggest achievement? ‘Piecing together the sequencing for the 13 steels which sit in the structure.’
Design inspiration and suppliers
Chris says that Pinterest and interior design magazines were the source of much of their interior design inspiration. In particular, he cites Homebuilding and Renovating, House and Garden and House Beautiful.
The streamlined bathroom is composed of pieces from suppliers, including Lusso Stone and HPS. The sleek and airy kitchen was picked up from DIY Kitchens. Ceilings throughout the house were painted in Farrow & Ball Dimpse, whilst Chris and Georgina opted for Farrow & Ball Slipper Satin for the living rooms and hallways. The remainder of the house was painted in Farrow & Ball Elephant’s Breath.
Costs:
Purchase price £561,000
(with stamp duty and legal fees added) £600,000
Cost of works £212,000
Sale price: £900,000
What’s next?
The couple are currently in the process of converting a former dental surgery into two flats in the small Kent town of Cranbrook. Unlike many of their previous projects which have been flips, they’re planning to hold on to the two flats and rent them out. Looking further ahead, they’re currently applying for planning for 3 new houses on a site they’ve recently acquired and are looking forward to getting started on their plans for a fitness retreat in Kent.
beauproperty.com – for more information about Chris and Georgina’s services.
@beauproperty– keep up to date with their latest projects on Instagram.