Wreck of the Week

I'm currently between homes. Or more accurately, we've just bought a temporary do-upper while we sell the house we've been rebuilding for the past six years and look for what, we hope, will be our final wreck. As marvellous George likes to put it , our "forever" home. Personally, I'm not a fan of the word 'forever' being put in front of anything. Particularly something so dependent on market vagaries and family stability as a property. But the idea of settling somewhere for longer than a decade definitely has appeal right now. Anyway, back to why we're here. I've been looking around North and East Yorkshire this week in terms of potential do-uppers and wanted to show you these two finds. Starting with this handsome out-grown family home (top and below) in the Yorkshire village of Hunmanby , a couple of miles from Filey and the coast. Grade II listed, detached, four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs; three reception rooms and a chunky...

Given that we're all back at school/work/university and bracing for a thoroughly bad-tempered autumn, I thought I'd show you two potential holiday homes (or holiday let) renovations to daydream over. Starting with this very cute cottage a few hundred metres from the shores of  Loch Lomond. Bridgend Cottage is just outside the entrance to Cashel Campsite , off the West Highland Way, so easy for guests to find. The location is pretty - within the Trossachs National Park and handy for Ben Lomond, forest walks and plenty of tourism hotspots. But also private with a walled and hedged garden wrapped around the house. Inside is more tired and dated than wrecked and there's plenty of scope to remodel and refit, or just repair and revamp. Three bedrooms - albeit one bedroom and the bathroom are downstairs (which does also offer potential to create an accessible holiday home), plus lounge, kitchen, hall and various stores. The kitchen is a weird shape and...