Owners of The Thatch, in Attleborough, shortlisted for Best Loved Private Building Award by The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

A family of four that spent almost three years transforming their Grade-II listed home have been short-listed for a national award.

Since moving to The Thatch, in Attleborough, Hannah and Ben Nairn have worked day in, day out to restore the historic cottage, which is believed to sit on the site of a 10th-century Saxon fort.

Their efforts quickly caught the attention of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), which has short-listed the house for its upcoming Best Loved Private Building Award.

The family had found the two-storey thatched cottage, in Connaught Road, in a state of disrepair when they first moved in, having left Sawtry, Cambridgeshire, in February 2020.

Mrs Nairn said: “It had been lived in by an elderly couple and, while they had obviously loved it, a lot of what they had done hadn’t been in symmetry – it had been cement rendered and had significant posts removed that meant some of the oak frame had rotted.

“It needed rethatching, as well as work to the electrics and plumbing.

“We knew it was going to be a big project – we were under no illusions about that.”

The rise of the Covid-19 pandemic gave Mrs Nairn, 48, and her husband, 46, plenty of time to take on the mammoth task, while also throwing up its fair share of challenges.

“Everything was so complicated, particularly during lockdown,” said Mrs Nairn. “Getting in tradesmen and materials was hard.

“We had to be very creative and learn lots of new skills.”

Luckily, Mrs Nairn’s two sons, Beren, 19, and Torin, 15, were on hand to lend support when needed.

“Both boys helped out and turned their hands to lots of building skills,” said Mrs Nairn.

“It was a complete family project, an amazing education for all of us and a fascinating process.”

Earlier this year, their efforts caught the attention of SPAB, which was impressed by the transformation of the home.

“A friend had sent the details and said ‘you might be interested in this, you should apply’ and I thought I would give it a go,” said Mrs Nairn.

She sent off a selection of pictures alongside a 1,500-word statement about the historical property.

To her astonishment, the house was selected alongside three others for the Best Loved Private Building Award, which will be decided later this year.

“I was quite astonished and didn’t expect it,” she said. “People think you’re mad living in a building site and constantly exhausted, so it’s so nice that other people appreciate what we’re doing.

“We are so used to having modern homes everywhere. To have people appreciate the skill and history of a building is wonderful.

“Our house offers a lot of different dimensions. We weren’t trying to do anything modern to it – we were simply trying to preserve it and all of its historic character.

“All we have done is reveal a lot of the original fabric of the building.”

People have until October 31 to submit their votes for SPAB’s Best Loved Private Building Award. To do so, click here.