Why this fabulous single storey and six bedroom Yorkshire holiday let won a top award

Sykes Lodge was developed from old barns and buildings that came with the main house and land that belonged to her parents.

Alexandra says: “Before we built Sykes Lodge, my parents were slowly selling off the farm and I knew I had to do something big to provide an income to enable us to stay living here and keep my family history on this land alive.

“My father left me the old farm buildings in his will and developing them and bringing them back to life for holiday letting was my idea. I knew the location was ideal.”

The property sits in a peaceful, rural spot in ten acres of parkland at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds. It ticks all the boxes for guests as there are plenty of walks from the door and the vibrant market town of Malton, while the coast is a 45 minute drive away and it takes half an hour to drive to central York.

While Alexandra knew turning her idea into reality would be challenging due to an incredibly tight spend, she ploughed on vowing to try and do as much of the work as she could herself, while roping in friends and family to help.

Before she laid a brick, and she laid many,, she did her research on what was most likely to appeal to visitors. So while she could’ve created three small holiday lets, she opted for one supersize, six bedroom, single storey property instead.

She says: “The larger lets seem to be really popular with families, groups of friends and wedding parties and I knew one large property would be easier to manage than three smaller ones.

“The fact that it is single storey is very appealing because people with mobility issues can stay and I made sure that there are wide doorways for wheelchairs, screenless showers and discreetly placed handles in the bathrooms. I also used a courtyard surface and interior flooring that is wheelchair-friendly.

“Dogs are also allowed which is a real incentive for people to stay and the dogs love it as they can run free in the paddock and can be walked around the farmland on a lead.”

The original farm buildings were in a poor state and needed extensive reconstruction and there was no budget for an architect, only the essential tradespeople and so Alexandra sketched the design she wanted on a piece of A4 and built small models of it while being guided by a structural engineer.

The property took two years to complete with Alexandra hands on alongside the tradespeople and working seven days a week. No project was off limits for her, including bricklaying, woodwork and laying a concrete floor.

As for decorating and fitting out the interiors, Alexandra had been sourcing and storing furniture for the project with finds from the farm, auctions and eBay, some of which she repainted, though she also splashed out new buys including quality mattresses and a German kitchen.

The use of new and vintage items and her gift for design has given the property both style and character. The 1930s panelling in what was a tack room looks fabulous in one of the guest bedrooms, though her proudest achievement is a new wood ceiling that she aged with a home made solution of tea, vinegar and rust topped with a light wash of emulsion.

“I did that one dark night by lamplight and with car headlights shining in so I could see,” says Alexandra.

Sykes Lodge is named after Sir Mark Sykes who had the range of buildings constructed in 1902. It has been hugely popular with rave reviews.

“I wanted the house to have character so it has old and authentic features, some new ones and some quirky pieces too. It’s definitely not dull,” says Alexandra.

The property has two super-king-size bedrooms with en-suites, a super-king-size bedroom and three twin bedrooms plus two bathrooms.

The open plan living space has a vaulted kitchen, dining table and plush sofas. There is also a library and a separate sitting room with a wood-burning stove. Outside, are seating areas, a barbecue and a sunken hot tub.

All the hard graft was worthwhile as the income from Sykes Lodge has enabled Alexandra and her family to stay on the farm and it also paid for the conversion of another building into a cottage for her mother.

She says: “I still haven’t had a day off since we opened but I love welcoming guests here. We’ve had everyone from groups of families and friends to celebrities.

"I’m really buoyed by winning the award. It’s a vindication of what we have achieved here.”

For details contact Sykes Lodge visit www.sykescottages.co.uk