Amy and Bryn Jones have renovated and extended a run-down farm worker’s cottage in Wales — creating a characterful, contemporary home in the process
(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
After selling their home in London, Amy and Bryn Jones were looking to move closer to their families in Powys when they happened upon Bachie Cottage, a run-down farm worker’s property set back into a hill on the edge of the village where Bryn grew up. Up to the challenge of renovating a house, the couple took the plunge.
“We wanted a project and spent ages looking for the right house but then this one came up,” begins Amy. “Bryn knew all about the house because his family only lives down the road, but I hadn’t seen it before. As soon as I walked through the front door I thought ‘this is the one’.
Built into the side of a shale hill, the cottage benefits from glorious views across the Welsh countryside. The aluminium pivot door added to the side of the house was on Amy’s ‘most-wanted’ wish-list from the beginning.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Project notes
(Image credit: Amy and Bryn Jones)
Homeowners Amy and Bryn Jones Location Powys, Wales Project Cottage renovation, extension and barn conversion Build route Self project managed Build size 246m2 Build time Apr 2015 - Jan 2017 Plot cost £270,000 Build cost £250,000 Current value £600,000
“The house dates back to 1840 and we’re only the third owners ever,” she adds. “The previous owner must have done a lot of work in the 1950s and ’60s and just left it.” Although their first project of this scale, Amy and Bryn’s experience as an interior designer and a civil engineer meant they were more than ready to get stuck in and take charge of the project, designing the new additions and alterations themselves before asking an architect/family friend to ready their plans for their planning application.
When the couple bought the property, a dated carport sat between the cottage and the disused hay/storage barn; the latter hadn’t been touched in decades and was falling into disrepair. With a view to unite the two buildings, Amy and Bryn designed a modern link extension (in place of the carport) with large frameless glazing to make the most of the rural views.
Starting On Site
Large areas of glazing and a polished concrete floor were both priorities for the couple in the new kitchen/dining/living area. The interiors were designed by Amy’s company, Greta Mae Interiors. (Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
Bryn’s family run a local builders’ merchant, so they sourced their small team of builders based on their reputations. The couple moved in with Amy’s mum nearby, enabling them to be on site daily to deal with issues as and when they arose, and to help out with a wide range of tasks on a DIY basis.
One of the first major steps was tackling the damp. The rear of the house is built into the shale hillside, so the former kitchen – now a generous utility room – was prone to damp and flooding during heavy downpours, worsened by a drain in the corner of the room which frequently overflowed. Hundreds of tonnes of earth were excavated behind the house and a new French drain installed to divert the water around the property.
The roof was also replaced and new rooflights installed on the first floor. “At one point the roof was off and we had a really awful winter. Water was just running down the staircase and walls,” remembers Amy. “The stairs took quite a bit of work to save.”
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AFTER: During the project, Amy and Bryn uncovered numerous period features which had been boxed in or covered up with years of redecoration, including fireplaces, original timber beams throughout and a space in the upstairs landing where the two fireplaces either side of the cottage met to create a unique archway, one of the couple’s favourite elements.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
BEFORE(Image credit: Amy and Bryn Jones)
The Challenges of Living Off-Mains
Amy and Bryn also needed to establish how to bring services to site: while the property had an electricity supply, mains gas and water were not options.
“The house was only supplied by a gravity-fed water tank, which is not suitable when you’ve got mod cons like a washing machine and a dishwasher,” begins Amy. “We thought about using the well on site, which is situated under the old carport, but after seeing how low it can get if there is a dry spell, we knew we would need a more reliable source of water. We’re quite far from the main road, so there’s no mains supply, and the closest well is miles away, so we made the decision to dig a borehole and bring the supply in over two fields. Luckily the local farmer is Bryn’s best friend so it wasn’t too bad!” smiles Amy.
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AFTER(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
BEFORE(Image credit: Amy and Bryn Jones)
A ground source heat pump was also installed. This went hand in hand with the couple’s fabric first approach to their renovation — ensuring the house was insulated and airtight to ensure their heating demand was minimised. A ‘mini timber house’ was built within the cottage walls. “We added a breathable membrane, studded inside all of the cottage, added insulation and then ran the services and electrics within in it,” explains Bryn.
Reimagining the floorplan
The snug’s fireplace, previously covered up by a gas fire, has been replaced with a fireplace the couple picked up in a local reclamation yard. The limestone tiles throughout the cottage are from Mandarin Stone.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
To one side, the ground floor layout remains largely untouched. Varying floor levels and head heights have been preserved, and the smaller rooms, like the old cold store, cellar and parlour, have simply been adapted for modern living rather than knocked through to make larger rooms. These spaces now provide a home office, pantry and cosy snug, which all lead off the entrance hall, where the original staircase has been sensitively restored.
On the opposite side of the house, however, the couple have not been afraid to leave their mark. In the pared-back kitchen, living and dining area, the property’s transformation can be truly appreciated. A polished concrete floor (which the couple set and polished themselves) and minimal kitchen sit alongside original features, including an exposed, limewashed fireplace and the well which Bryn couldn’t bear not to keep as a feature.
“We kept on thinking some poor bloke had to dig that by hand!” he says. The result is a unique home which embraces the building’s heritage while providing all the comforts of 21st-century living.
The kitchen design was left intentionally minimal with the view to spend more on quality materials for the Silestone worktop and appliances. The pendant lights were found on eBay and the white metro tiles are from Mandarin Stone.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
And what is it like finally living in the completed house, after years of hard graft?
“There is a sense of satisfaction and pride in what we have achieved as we worked so hard on site day in, day out alongside the builders and other trades,” says Bryn.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” adds Amy. “I often lie in bed or sit in other areas of the house and remember the different stages the rooms went through to get to where they are now. I love the history and giving this property a new lease of life. It’s not perfect but that’s the beauty of an old house.”
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The redbrick archway to the first floor is where the two chimneys either side of the hallway join. Where it had previously been plastered over, it now makes a dramatic landing filled with light.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
The vaulted ceilings of the bedrooms have been exposed, sacrificing loft storage space but leaving the new rooms feeling more characterful. (Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
The floors in the bedrooms had also previously been covered in bitumen; the couple had to use an angle-grinder with a sanding pad to reveal the original timber floors underneath.(Image credit: Jeremy Phillips)
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Amy is an interiors and renovation journalist. She is the former Assistant Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating, where she worked between 2018 and 2023. She has also been an editor for Independent Advisor, where she looked after homes content, including topics such as solar panels.
She has an interest in sustainable building methods and always has her eye on the latest design ideas. Amy has also interviewed countless self builders, renovators and extenders about their experiences.
She has renovated a mid-century home, together with her partner, on a DIY basis, undertaking tasks from fitting a kitchen to laying flooring. She is currently embarking on an energy-efficient overhaul of a 1800s cottage in Somerset.
