In London, a Victorian Townhouse Grows 600 Square Feet During a 14-Month Renovation - The Wall Street Journal

Nobody likes a building project that drags on and on, but for Kevin and Alex Powell the need to get their renovation finished was particularly pressing: The couple and their two young daughters moved into their freshly overhauled home on March 23 2020, or two days before Britain was plunged into its first national lockdown.

Being stuck in the house for seven weeks (as well as two subsequent lockdowns) gave the family ample time to appreciate the results of the 14-month, $1 million-plus transformation of their Victorian house in London—from the new home movie theater in the basement, which made endless hours of viewing a lot more luxurious, to the new bedroom suite in the attic which Mr. Powell, an actuary, was able to commandeer as a makeshift office while working from home.

But the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions mean that, so far, they have been prevented from showing off their new house to family and friends. "We are really looking forward to finally being able to have a housewarming party, even though we moved in more than a year ago," said Mrs. Powell.

Back in 2015 Mrs. Powell, 40, was expecting their first child, Isobel, now 6, and the couple's two-bedroom apartment in a converted church was starting to feel a bit outgrown.

They began looking at larger properties and loved the first house they viewed: a three-bedroom, one-bathroom Victorian townhouse measuring 2,100 square feet. Mr. Powell, 45, made a roughly $1.9 million offer on the property while Mrs. Powell was in the hospital to deliver Isobel. By the time mother and daughter came home from the hospital it had been accepted. They moved in 2015.