A project · ongoing
The house on the hill
A stone house in Quarnford looking out over the Peak District, taken on in January 2024 with everything still inside. Two 1930s cars in the barn, a lifetime of someone else’s things in the rooms, thick walls and big windows onto the moor. The start of a long project of making, mending and building, which is where a lot of my time goes now.
First Viewing
The house exactly as we found it. Two 1930s cars in the barn, the rooms still full of the last owner’s life, books floor to ceiling, dated bathrooms, everything to do. You buy the potential and the view before anything else.
Clearing It Out
We got everything. Furniture, clothes, car parts, all of it. The previous owner was a bit of a hoarder, so before anything else could happen it all had to be sorted into piles: tip, charity shop, car boot, eBay, keep. It took two weeks of constant work to clear the first load, just enough to move a few of our own things in.
The cars had already gone by then, passed on to one of his cousins.
What We Kept
A sofa, the dining table, some records and a couple of 1970s suits. He had been in the merchant navy, and the suits were made for him in Hong Kong. I wore them on my wedding day. Before that I took them to a dry cleaner, who said they were some of the best suits they had ever cleaned.
The records came from the same years at sea. A lot of Taiwanese bootlegs of sixties and seventies classics: Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Donovan. The one I have played most is a Jimmy McGriff record, and his collection now turns up in my sets.
Good Bones
A stone terrace with thick walls and deep windows looking straight out over the hills. Liveable from the start, it just all needs updating. So far that has meant the unglamorous jobs: clearing the blocked pipe to the septic tank, getting the toilet cistern working again.
The Work Ahead
The big job is planned for winter 2026. An air source heat pump and solar panels, and a new heating system to go with them. Once the heating and electrics are done there is no more work inside the walls, and the creative part can begin: a new kitchen, a new bathroom, decorating throughout.
The kitchen is pencilled in for summer 2027. My mate Kev runs Calder Valley Projects, a high end kitchen maker, and had a load of cabinet carcasses that were made wrong. The plan is to work out which ones fit the space, then make new worktops and doors for them. Most of the house should be done within three years.
The Studio and the Workshop
Two working spaces came with the house. A studio for the computer and music work, and a workshop for wood and the dirtier jobs. The workshop was re-pointed over the first summer, and a greenhouse went up from recycled windows. That is why this place sits under Work rather than being a private renovation. Most of the making now happens here.
Questions
What is the house on the hill?
A stone house in Quarnford, overlooking the Peak District, that we took on in January 2024. The studio and the workshop are both here, so a lot of the making now happens in this building.
What state was it in?
Full. It came with everything the previous owner had, and he was a hoarder, so the first job was clearing it out into piles: tip, charity shop, car boot, eBay, keep. The house itself is perfectly liveable. It just all needs updating.
What did you keep from the previous owner?
A sofa, the dining table, a couple of 1970s suits made for him in Hong Kong, and his records, mostly Taiwanese bootlegs picked up in the merchant navy.
What has been done so far?
The workshop was re-pointed over the first summer, a greenhouse built from recycled windows, and repairs to the septic tank pipe and toilet cistern. The heating, kitchen and bathroom are still ahead.
How is the kitchen being made?
From cabinet carcasses Calder Valley Projects made incorrectly, fitted to the space with new worktops and doors made here.
Is there a studio here?
Two spaces. A studio for computer and music work, and a workshop for wood and the dirtier jobs.
Selected Work