Penny, a 74-year-old widow, has completed a significant renovation of her four-story home in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, with the assistance of the Channel 4 series "Renovation Rescue." The project, which ultimately cost £150,000, was initially left in disarray by unreliable builders, forcing Penny to dip into her pension to continue the work.
Penny, originally from New Zealand, moved to the UK in her twenties and recently relocated to Shoreham-by-Sea to be closer to her daughter and grandsons following the sudden death of her husband of 20 years, Martin. She was drawn to a four-story terraced house with a distinctive top-floor view. However, her new home required a complete overhaul. A builder initially contracted for a seven-month completion left the property as a construction site for 18 months.
The house was cluttered with debris, exposed cables, and unfinished rooms. The exterior was crumbling, and the rear fence was replaced with temporary wooden boards. Without a functional kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom, Penny resorted to using a bucket to flush her toilet and microwaved meals for a year. Her efforts to complete the work independently with trade workers escalated the costs from an estimated £100,000 to £140,000, and then to £150,000.
"Renovation Rescue," co-hosted by Vogue Williams, who has degrees in construction design-management and quantity surveying, and trained plumber Luke Mabbott, stepped in to help Penny with cost-saving strategies and design solutions. Williams noted the home was a considerable building site but expressed enthusiasm for assisting Penny.
Penny had been living in a self-designed top-floor 'penthouse,' which impressed Williams with its warm and homely aesthetic. The renovation plan included transforming the fourth floor into Penny's master bedroom, utilizing the completed second floor for two bedrooms and a bathroom, dedicating the first floor as an art studio, and focusing on creating an open-plan kitchen, living, and dining space on the ground floor.
Mabbott identified structural issues, including a temporary support for the staircase, which Williams stated needed immediate removal. To reduce expenses, Penny purchased her own plants for the courtyard, saving an estimated £700. Bespoke plywood shoe storage was created for an alcove beneath the stairs, and black-framed bi-fold doors were installed to enhance light and soundproofing. Mabbott also led the creation of a Mediterranean-inspired courtyard, including a new rendered wall and planting, a project that would have cost thousands if outsourced.
Additional cost-saving measures included Vogue designing bespoke slatted timber gates to replace the temporary boarding, saving £600. The couple also sourced recycled British timber terrazzo to create a bespoke breakfast bar, mounted on a second-hand shop counter, saving another £700. The unavoidable expenses included downstairs plastering and underfloor heating. Penny, her daughter, and grandsons helped paint the interior.
The home's exterior was re-rendered in black with black-framed windows, providing a striking contrast to the colorful interior. The courtyard was transformed into a private oasis with tiled paving, colorful furniture, and plants. Inside, the living and dining areas feature natural timber, reeded oak, terrazzo-style flooring, and a vibrant yellow feature wall, complemented by warm shades of orange, brown, yellow, pink, and rust. The dark green kitchen incorporates cupboards made from leftover terrazzo offcuts. A compact bathroom on the lower floor features unique tiles and orange walls.
A painting by Penny's late partner, Martin, who was the world's first professor of cartooning at Kyoto Seika University, was hung in the lounge. Penny expressed that she has moved past the intense grieving stage and can now look at his artwork with pleasure.
Four months after the renovation began with the show's intervention, the house was completed. Penny described feeling "renovation pride" and expressed her satisfaction with the final result, which allows her to spend more time with her family in her "forever home."