Magazine feature page 1

House fact file

THE PROPERTY Extended house in Kent

BEDROOMS Four

BATHROOMS Three

BUYING PRICE £600,000 in 2004

IMPROVEMENTS MADE The kitchen was extended; a new conservatory, laundry, office, toilet, two bedrooms and en suites were added

AMOUNT SPENT ON RENOVATIONS £550,000

NOW WORTH £1.5 million

Extended country house

Adding a two-storey extension enabled Maria and Bruno Zoccola to turn a cottage into a modern home

Who lives here?
my name is Maria Zoccola. I’m a hairdresser and I live here with my husband, Bruno, who’s a property developer, our children, Antonio, 19, and Gabriella, 17, and our alsatian, Max.

Why did you move?
We used to live just a few doors away, so we already knew the area and this house really well. We were originally looking for a smaller place, so we could have some money left over to buy a holiday home in France. When this house came on the market we went for it, despite knowing there would be months of work to do. Bruno had to persuade me at first, because of the sheer volume of work that it needed, but he didn’t have to try very hard.