House Tours: Renovating A Period Townhouse

Victorian Townhouse Renovation in Newcastle

When Charlotte and Sophie Wilson first viewed the terraced property, they knew immediately it was the one.

With three previous property redevelopments behind them, the sisters were looking for a house with potential and, more importantly, somewhere they could turn into a home.

The townhouse is near Jesmond Dene, the historic park in the eastern suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The 1,750 square foot property had fallen into disrepair, but it had original features, character and plenty of potential.

Sophie & Charlotte Wilson

Extension Plans

New Kitchen Extension

Serious DIY Enthusiasts & Entrepreneurs

Charlotte and Sophie are sisters from North Yorkshire and have lived in Newcastle for the past decade.

In 2015, during Sophie's second year of university, they bought their first renovation project at auction for £21,000.

The property was even featured on Homes Under the Hammer.

Since then, they have completed two more properties, renovating one to sell and another to rent.

They love modernising period properties while respecting the history and original features.

Jesmond Townhouse is our fourth renovation and by far the most challenging, but also the most exciting and rewarding!

The sisters' passion is a family affair.

Their dad, Neil, is a retired builder with over 40 years' experience running his own building company.

Their mum, Susan, also likes to help with the aesthetic jobs.

The previous owners of the Jesmond townhouse had painted over many of the original features, so there was a lot of paint stripping to do.

Sister Love

Dad, Neil

Mum, Susan

Juggling Work with Renovating

Tackling a DIY property renovation is a great way to keep costs low, but the work needs to be fitted around everyday life.

We asked Sophie and Charlotte how they found the time:

"We're not sure either! We did a lot of the renovations during the lockdowns, which was a great use of our spare time, but we both have full-time jobs and neither of us were furloughed."

If that was not impressive enough, Sophie and Charlotte also run their own business.

They launched YANA™, an online women's activewear store, in 2019 just before the pandemic.

"Everything in the house has been designed to suit our needs. We did away with the dining room and made it into a large office with fitted desks for our day jobs. It's also where we run our activewear company YANA™ in our spare time!"

Period Inspiration

The period features were one of the first things that attracted the sisters to the property.

Corbels, cornices, original fireplaces and ceiling roses all needed careful restoration.

Where original features were missing or too damaged to repair, sympathetic replacements were found.

"The ceiling roses and fireplaces are our favourite features. We spent endless hours restoring them and we're so glad we did."

"They pay homage to the Victorian era, and the detail we uncovered when stripping them back was a brilliant surprise."

Charlotte and Sophie also discovered an original fireplace hidden behind an old 1980s heater in one of the top floor bedrooms.

There were some surprise finds too. When they removed an unused chimney breast, they found the original back boiler filled to the top with water.

In the roof, acting as insulation, there were magazines from the 1940s.

The doors throughout the house had been removed before the sale and needed to be replaced.

Solid timber panelled doors were chosen with vintage-style solid rosewood ebonised beehive door knobs.

Beehive door knobs were a popular feature in Victorian homes, making them a fitting choice for the renovation.

Beehive Door Knobs From £27.00

Beautiful Restored Ceiling Rose

Original Bedroom Fireplace

Designer Style

When asked which room is their favourite, Charlotte and Sophie found it difficult to choose, but felt it was probably the kitchen.

They had a vision for the kitchen for several years after seeing some cupboard doors in a soft golden colour.

Unfortunately, the doors were discontinued, but they were undeterred.

"There was no getting away from our gold doors, as we had designed our entire kitchen in our heads and knew we needed those doors."

"We looked at other samples, but they weren't right and looked too industrial. Instead, we found the perfect gold colour paint and had the doors bespoke sprayed."

The result is a considered mix of modern and vintage style, with satin gold coloured hardware and an Art Deco feel.

This also links with the bathroom, where satin brass taps and bathroom hardware have been used.

Stunning Original Kitchen

Satin Gold Sink & Tap

Bathroom with Satin Brass Hardware

Renovation Tips

With their experience across several projects, we asked Charlotte and Sophie for their tips for fellow renovators:

Do not underestimate how much work goes into a large house renovation.
Make sure you have contingency money for unexpected costs.
Shop around for everything in your kitchen. It can save thousands.
Do not let a kitchen designer make you compromise if you know what you want.
If you want a specific worktop, start looking around a year before you need it.
Only renovate if you enjoy it. Renovation work can be dirty, tiring and cold, especially during winter.

"Time is the most precious thing we have in life, so use it wisely."