Our House: Amanda Holland's overhaul makes her a perfect Golcar home

Feb 16 2010 By Emma Davison

“The first time I walked through the door I thought it would be very easy to live in.

“Sometimes older houses feel a bit stark, but this one felt really warm and friendly.”

Amanda needed a interior to match her grand period home – which came with some superb views down the valley – so spent the next three years updating it.

The roof was repointed and an ensuite shower room and dressing room added upstairs.

A modern bathroom replaced the tired suite, the utility room updated and Amanda invested a small fortune in the new kitchen which boasts slick German units and LED skirting board lighting.

Amanda added: “The kitchen cost me a fortune. It was dated before and I felt it detracted from the property.

“Now it very sleek and adds to the flow of the rooms.”

Amanda found renovating the house awakened her creative flair and even inspired her to start a design course in Bolton, which she is now in the third year of.

She says: “I didn’t really have a specific interior in mind, I took each room separately and everything just pulled together.

“I’ve combined modern pieces with some traditional furnishings which really suit the features if the house.

“As well as the mahogany dresser, which is the house legacy, I’ve got an 1800s grandfather clock in the hall which came from a friend when they moved to another country.”

Amanda is selling her home to move up the property ladder, but says she will miss her idyllic life there.

She says: “It’s been the house that I’ve loved the most so far.

“I’ve spent three years working on the house and it’s like my baby so it will be hard to let go.

“But everything about it, from the views to the bright and spacious rooms when you walk in, is fantastic.

“It’s a house that sells itself.”

Anthorp House, Lower Wellhouse, Golcar, is on the market with Simon Blyth estate agents. Call 01484 651878.