New England CLASSIC
If there’s one characteristic shared by successful self-builders and renovators, it’s the ability to see the treasure in the trash. For Amanda and James Rice, their hunt for a home on the Isle of Wight was frustrating, to say the least — the traditional stone cottage they’d set their heart on just wasn’t out there.
But their first viewing of a tired 1950s brick and block bungalow was one of those rare ‘aha’ moments when an original plan morphs into something infinitely better. “The bungalow was very underwhelming; the estate agent was trying to show us around and all we were thinking about was the coastal views — it was a
