Older houses are worth the extra trouble. They were built with detail nobody specifies any more, and once it is gone it does not come back.
What gets kept
Cornice, ceiling roses, shutters, original doors, fireplaces, stair balustrades, and the proportion of the rooms themselves. Those are the reasons you bought the house. The design works around them rather than over them.
Where modern is allowed
Kitchens, bathrooms and heating. There is no virtue in a period bathroom that does not drain properly. The trick is making the new work read as a confident addition rather than an apology.
The trades
Stonemasonry, lime plaster, cornice matching, traditional joinery and specialist roofing all need people who have done it before. Kasia works with trades who have, including on larger and listed properties.
Consents
Listed building consent and conservation area rules change what is possible and how long it takes. That gets established at the start, so the scheme you fall in love with is one you are allowed to build.
Work like this
Nothing in that category yet. Call Kasia and ask, because there is usually more than is published.
She understood what I wanted before I could say it.
She somehow always understood exactly what I wanted. Really good with understanding the vibe.
Understood exactly what I wanted, even the things I could not quite put into words.
It freed me up to focus on other jobs while this one was getting organised by Kasia.