Episode Information Waterloo: The Violin Factory

Date Published:

11/06/2008

Louise and Milko wanted to build the home of a lifetime so that's what they set out to do.

Milko's job as a well-paid City banker meant they could think big, so Louise set up her own architectural practice and they bought a disused violin factory in the heart of London's Waterloo. The crumbling building was hemmed in on all sides and had no views, but Louise had a vision of a spectacular loft-style home that would combine stunning design with utter luxury

The Build

The factory was hidden behind terraces, with access through a pair of rotten garage doors. As it was surrounded by buildings, light was a challenge: Louise planned to bring it in from above by glazing the pitched roof.

Working with Ian Rogers, one of her practice's architects, she produced an opulent design with full height space on one side of the building and two upper floors on the other. The main space was divided into living area, private cinema, kitchen and dining room. The first floor had two guest bedrooms and a study opening off a walkway, while the second floor housed the master bedroom, with en suite sauna and bathroom, plus a gym. A roof garden gave a Mary Poppins-style chimney-pot view of the city.

Rising Cost

It was always going to be expensive - Louise and Milko had estimated that the basic build alone would cost £600,000, before fittings. And that didn't include the rent of the Harley Street apartment they were living in for the duration. Costs soon rose. It was discovered that the factory was on marshland, so 48 piles had to be pounded into the ground to provide foundations.

Then the neighbours refused access to extend the party wall, and the whole project stalled for seven months. Once building restarted, the wall was made and the old bricks sandblasted, the roof-light timbers were installed and the upper floors built. Winter came before the stairwell could be glazed, so a temporary wooden box was built on the roof and sealed.

High Tech, High Spec

The fittings began to arrive: under-floor heating, rain-sensitive windows, four showers, six toilets, computer-regulated humidity controls, a security system, a steam room, audiovisual equipment for the cinema, a 100-lamp lighting system, multimedia systems and a dumb waiter. To complement the high-tech, high-spec materials of the rest of the house, a wooden spiral staircase and study panelling were being crafted by hand in a Norfolk barn.

Fingers Crossed

Meanwhile, the neighbours were unhappy again, objecting to the pink Fletton bricks Louise had used to extend the party wall. While planning officers considered the complaint, a discouraged Milko stopped visiting the site and Louise crossed her fingers and pressed on. She set a three-week deadline and called in an army of glaziers, roofers, plasterers, plumbers and decorators.

Two-and-a-half years after finding the site, the build was finished. It offered the ultimate in style and comfort, and Milko and Louise loved it - but there was a snag. The council ruled against them on the party wall, and ordered them to dismantle and rebuild it. Milko and Louise have appealed. They are now waiting to hear if they have to turn their amazing home back into a building site.