​Most people wouldn’t give the property a second glance, but when Dave Burton saw this Victorian cottage in South Cave he knew he could give it a new lease of life – with a very modern twist. Hannah Morgan reports . . .

The nail salon fronts the renovated cottage, which includes a shower room over the archway

There are some dilapidated old properties that most people wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. At the first sign of rising damp, bowing walls or sinking roofs they would simply walk away and keep their weekends – and bank balances – safely in tact.

But when property photographer Dave Burton stumbles across a crumbling old cottage, he sees beyond the dark dingy rooms and years of neglect to visualise light, open spaces, free-flowing rooms and modern designs.

“I enjoy the process of taking a tired old building and giving it a new lease of life,” he says. “It can be challenging and frustrating, but the end result is always worth the hassle.”

One of his recent projects has been the renovation and redesign of a Victorian cottage and former barber’s shop in South Cave.

When he bought the property in Market Place five years ago he modernised the shop to create what is now Sarah Inglis’ nail salon, then set to work on the cottage behind.

“It was an awkwardly shaped property with a long, narrow kitchen, small entrance lobby and downstairs bathroom,” said Dave.

“Upstairs, the rooms were very small and dark and you felt you had to duck all the time because the ceilings seemed so low. The space hadn’t been used to its full potential.”

His aim was to create a feeling of light and openness and to turn the run-down property into modern, urban-style accommodation. This would include removing “unnecessary” walls, moving the bathroom into a box room upstairs and creating an open roof area with a storage mezzanine to give the upstairs sitting room an open-plan feel.

“Although it was important to modernise the interior and make it more welcoming, it was equally important to maintain the original character of the house,” said Dave. “I liked the fact the original chimney breast wasn’t straight and the doors, some still with latch handles, were quite low and crooked.

“The whole of the kitchen wall curves round, which some people might have tried to square off, but if you start to make everything too perfect you can soon lose the integrity of the building.”

The single storey dining kitchen leads to first floor accommodation in the main part of the cottage

Before work could start, however, Dave had to establish who owned a bathroom extension at the back of the property.

“At some point the small bathroom extension had been built on to the end of the kitchen, but it hadn’t been recorded,” he said. “In effect, the Land Registry drawing suggested the extension actually belonged to the neighbours, whose land comes right up to the wall of the house. Until this was sorted, the neighbours would have been perfectly within their rights to have that part of the building knocked down.”

With the footprint legally confirmed, it was possible to start planning the renovation.

The first task was to remove the walls to the entrance lobby, rip out the downstairs bathroom suite and remove the kitchen units to create one large room downstairs. This would become an open-plan kitchen/dining room with an informal sitting area at one end.

A further stud wall at the top of the narrow stairs was removed to create a gallery-style bedroom and the stairs themselves – which had dog-legged at the bottom – were straightened to make access to the upper floor much easier.

“The dog-leg would have made it very difficult to carry furniture up and down stairs,” said Dave. “It made a lot of sense to keep things as simple as possible.”

Upstairs, the sitting room had a low “oppressive” ceiling which was covered in rough plaster. To remove it would have been so time consuming and costly that the builder suggested removing the ceiling altogether and creating a new one.

“It was a messy job, but once it was down and we could see the space it had generated, it seemed a shame to close it all back up again,” said Dave. “We made a feature out of it by creating a mezzanine storage area, which would make the most of the light and height.”

The dining kitchen used to be a much smaller kitchen, lobby and downstairs bathroom. Yorkshire flagstones create a practical, hard-wearing floor, which adds character to the room

The final job was to lay flagstones in the kitchen and install modern units, which Dave customised from Ikea fittings he had previously used in an office.

“I wanted the interior to look as light, open and modern as possible,” he said. “The rooms used to feel very dark and closed in, so it didn’t feel at all welcoming. Now the rooms flow together well and light pours in.”

Dave kept the colour scheme tastefully neutral, using accent walls to add interest. Light wool carpet makes the rooms look more spacious while large pieces of artwork create unusual focal points.

Furnishing the house was a challenge. “I didn’t want to introduce too much and make it look cluttered, so I bought a few key pieces and then built up the rest with smaller accessories,” said Dave.

A two-seater leather sofa, rather than a large three-seater, works well with the proportions of the sitting room, while tub chairs add to the flexibility of the layout.

To keep the line of vision flowing from one end of the long, narrow dining kitchen to the other, Dave chose a round glass top dining table (which can easily seat six) for the middle of the room and comfortable chairs at the end.

“I didn’t want large pieces of dark furniture downstairs,” said Dave. “I wanted the whole house to be fluid and flexible. I like the idea of rooms evolving in line with changes in lifestyle.”

The stylish, modern interior is a world away from the old-fashioned rooms he started out with. “When I think about how it used to look and the way it looks now, you would hardly recognise it as the same property,” said Dave.

“You just have to have the confidence to open up the rooms that are there and create the illusion of space by bringing more light, and a sense of openness, into a building. It isn’t rocket science – but you need to have the courage of your convictions.”

The South Cave property is one of six he has renovated in as many years and he also project managed the build of his family home near Howden – between his day jobs as a manufacturing manager and professional photographer. He says the secret of his success lies with the team of professional trades people who have turned his design ideas into reality.

“I spend a lot of time producing drawings, sourcing materials and pulling everything together but there are not enough hours in a week to be hands-on,” he says. “The builders, joiners, plumbers and electricians are the ones who really deserve the credit.”

Dave has kept all but one of the cottages and lets them out to people who appreciate his concept of turning neglected old period properties into light, modern living spaces.

“I get very attached to them so it’s very rewarding when someone really understands what Ive tried to do,” he said. “It’s not something you do to make a living – they just about break even – but I could certainly see myself retiring to one of them one day.”

At this rate he could be spoilt for choice!