Owners of a ‘beautiful’ period home have been accused of ‘ruining’ it with a newbuild-style refurb that has been compared to looking like a ‘Premier Inn’.
The house in Crabbs Cross, Redditch, was bought by local builders earlier this year who gave it a dramatic face lift.
Gone was the classical ‘farmhouse look’ with its soft colours and detailed windows and in its place came an altogether more dramatic look with black window frames and dark grey cladding.
But not everyone was impressed and it has been slammed online after a before and after shot was shared by an urban planning site on X, formerly Twitter.
One person wrote: ‘Looks like the sort of Premier Inn you see on a ring road.’
Owners of the ‘beautiful’ period home in Redditch have been accused of ‘ruining’ it with a newbuild-style refurb
The house in Crabbs Cross was bought by local builders earlier this year who gave it a dramatic face lift
Sheila Percy, 62 who lives on the other side of Evesham Road, said: ‘I prefer it as it was. I have known the house for 40 years and now it looks like it should be down Butlin’s Holiday Camp.
‘It’s nice that they restored it but they should have restored it how it was to match the next door property. It is just too modern for round here.’
And another neighbour Jennifer Sutor, 72, said: ‘That may be the oldest house in Crabbs Cross and I do not like the new look.
‘I am sure the windows needed replacing and it would have probably cost a lot to modernise it but why only do the front and leave ths sides? It is out of character for the area.’
Locals said the property had been in one family for generations but, after the death of the original owners it had been rented for a number of years before being sold earlier this year.
Builder Fred Cole, 62, said: ‘That used to be the School House. It looks smart enough but they should have modernized using older materials. It’s all plastic.’
When posted on X a post on the property’s face life got 503,000 views with two pictures of the house and the words, ‘Before and Hereafter!’
Users were scathing about the changes.
One mate wrote: They’ve taken a beautiful old house and made it look like the inside of a bathroom. Really! What were they thinking?’
Another posted: ‘Crying shame.’
While one critic said: ‘Very odd decision to remove all nice features and make it look like a ‘modernised’ 70’s house.’
Another simply wrote: ‘Ruined’.
But despite the negative reaction on X, most of those who lived nearby were unfazed by the change and some really liked it.
Neighbour and warehouse worker Ella Thomas, 30, said: ‘I have no issue with the house whatsoever. I think they have done it up quite well.
‘No houses look the same anymore. I get that these are original houses but in this area there are modern houses all over the place.’
Maria Aspinall, 52, an accountant, went further: ‘I think it looks great and actually brightens up the area. It was invisible before.
‘Regeneration is always a good thing and they’ve done a great job.’
Plumber Barry Bird, 77, who had lived on the road all his life, said: ‘They bought it, cladded the front and then put it up for sale. The property has been there all my life and I think it looks quite nice to tell you the truth. It’s clean and smart.’
Carpenter Ben Crutch, 35, was not completely won over but understood the reasoning behind the changes.
He said: ‘I remember it looking very dated before and it’s nice that they have brought some life back to it.
‘I am not a massive fan of the composite cladding but it represents zero maintenance for whoever buys it. If they had used oak cladding it would need regular staining.
‘The render they have used is silicone based so it should not need any work doing on it. I don’t think it’s ugly. It has curb appeal now.’
Critics on X slammed the face lift as ‘horrific’ but not all locals feel the same
Builders who bought the home said they were ‘proud’ of the refurb and spent a lot of money to make the house habitable again
Shop worker Emma, 45, who works in the area, said: ‘We watched it all happen over time and I think it is an improvement.
‘It looked so run down before. It was not a pretty place. They have just cleaned it up a bit.’
While hairdresser Goose (sic) Haley, 23, said: ‘I think it looked better before. I prefer it a bit more rustic but it’s really fine, not a problem for me.’
Others pointed out that the area has undergone many changes in recent years with the local pub becoming a Co-Op and white-fronted houses popping up all over the place.
Café owner Jackie Kalach, 56, said: ‘It has certainly had a face lift but I think it’s a bit of a shame that they have not kept it looking in keeping with its age.
‘But having said that, I have looked at the pictures and I like what they have done to the inside. They have put in a modern kitchen but they have kept the fireplaces.
‘Everything changes around here. The Co-Op used to be a pub a few years ago and this café used to be a butcher’s, then became a dog groomers and now it’s a café.
A spokesman for the local building firm responsible for the work said: ‘We are proud of what we’ve done. The house hasn’t sold in living memory because it was structurally unsafe and no-one could get a mortgage on it.
‘We have spent a lot of money sorting that out, we’ve upgraded the windows, given it a new front door, and turned it from a four into a five bed with an ensuite.
‘It was cold, damp and wet before and we have made it a lot more habitable, with cheaper bills and improved the aesthetic look.
‘We didn’t have to go for planning because it’s not in a conservation area, it’s not a listed building and we weren’t changing the area of the property.’