Budget Breakdown: An Architect Couple Revamp a "Horror Show" for $191K
It looked like a haunted house, but Jean Wang and Alex Warnock-Smith weren’t afraid to live in a fixer-upper as they renovated it throughout the pandemic.
It looked like a haunted house, but Jean Wang and Alex Warnock-Smith weren’t afraid to live in a fixer-upper as they renovated it throughout the pandemic.
While most couples dream of charm and curb appeal, Alex Warnock-Smith and Jean Wang landed on the ugliest house on the street in Finchley, North London—and they couldn’t have been happier. With its drab, browny-gray pebbledash facade and a timber porch on the brink of collapse, it looked more like a haunted house than a welcoming family home. "Inside was even worse," Alex says with a laugh. "A proper horror show."
But the bones were there: wider-than-usual proportions, soaring ceilings, and a four-bedroom layout. It had been sitting unloved on the market, and they snapped it up before anyone else could see its potential.
Before they bought it, Alex Warnock-Smith and Jean Wang’s home was the eyesore of the neighborhood. The architects spent £2.5K clearing the front garden and laying stepping stone paving slabs to create a side entry gate. The plants, were thoughtful hand-me-downs from neighbors and family gardens. A standout feature of the home, the original bay window is both functional and visually striking. It allows light to flood the living room, creating a bright and airy atmosphere, while its classic design remains true to the home’s original aesthetic.
Photo by Kilian O’Sullivan
The plan was to move in straight away and renovate slowly. "We figured it would be messy but manageable," says Jean. They had two young kids, full-time jobs (Alex is director of Urban Projects Bureau; Jean is a landscape designer at the same firm), and just enough optimism to believe they could make it work.
Then the pandemic hit.
"Suddenly, we were working from home, the kids were out of school, and the place was a literal building site," says Jean. They shuffled between rooms like human Tetris, sleeping in the kitchen one week, the back room the next. "The kids were in the living room with a hole in the wall and no heating," says Alex. "It was grim. But also…kind of exhilarating?"
Alex and Jean meticulously refurbished the home’s doors and coving. For the couple, retaining as many original elements as possible was a priority, though they did have a budget in mind.
Photo by Kilian O’Sullivan
Alex and Jean filled the living area with furniture from their previous homes. New double-glazed timber-sash windows and custom shutters—a £38,000 splurge—flood the space with light.
Photo by Kilian O’Sullivan
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: An Architect Couple Revamp a "Horror Show" for $191K
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