FROM tumbledown cottage to stunning contemporary home, a property in Thorngrafton has been reimagined with an embracing of technology, a dash of creativity and a lot of hard work.

"It was completely derelict when we bought it, just four walls and a roof standing," said owner Nick O'Hanlon. "There was electricity but nothing else. I worked closely with a local builder and we designed the whole thing ourselves.

"We put mains drainage in, dismantled two outbuildings but kept the front wall of a hayloft to retain the character, and reused the stone from a wash house. We tried to retain the original feel of the building but completely rejigged the inside."

The successful result is a contemporary family home with character and charm. Ground-floor rooms include a snug and conservatory and there are three bedrooms over two floors, the master with an en-suite bathroom and sauna.

Nick has lived at Thorngrafton Toft with wife Janet since 2002, having spent the previous year bringing it up to a high standard.

He said: "One of the criteria was to make it as light as possible. The whole house is painted 50-50 in gardenia and white which was a tip from a local architect.

"In artificial light it looks different shades and is really quite an interesting effect. It achieves a real balance of shades."

More inspiration came from a stay in a hotel while on holiday: "I noticed that I was looking through a series of rooms which repeated the squares and rectangles of the doors and windows and the framing of the rest of the rooms and I thought that was a good idea," Nick said.

"It was nice aesthetically and we've tried to carry that idea out, drawing the whole house together so it becomes an entity and has integrity because it feels the same throughout. It's a bit hard to explain but we paid great attention to it which has been commented on by visitors."

One of the main drivers in the transformation of Thorngrafton Toft was to make it as low maintenance as possible.

"When we revamped the house we insulated throughout very successfully," Nick said. "We put underfloor heating in on the ground floor and radiators on the first floor and loft. Then we put solar panels on the roofs.

"About two years ago the oil boiler broke and as we were spending a lot on oil, I looked at what was around and we decided to install an air-source heat pump.

"It is incredibly efficient, just amazing and saving us a lot of money. And we get a return on the solar panels which generate the electricity to run the heat pump - about £3,000 a year in heat incentives. We're definitely converts and will consider a heat pump in our new house."

The Thorngrafton house does have some original beams in its right-hand section and at the other end there's an extension forming a light and spacious split-level sitting room.

"We probably spend most time in the conservatory and although it's on the north of the house, it's very successful in that sense as it neither gets too hot or too cold," Nick said.

"It's warm and light and a lovely place to sit, overlooking the garden. That's tiered and is very interesting, with colour in it from the back end of March to the first frosts in November. Janet's done a really good job of it.

"When we revamped the property we wanted to achieve a house which was as low-maintenance as possible, warm and comfortable to live in.

"We didn't want to be dominated by having to do things around the house and it's worked out like that. It's lovely and warm, really comfortable and we've been happy. In fact, we've probably had the happiest time of our lives here."

Thorngrafton Toft, Thorngrafton, north of Bardon Mill, is for sale at £450,000 from Finest Properties, tel. (01434) 622234.