We transformed a timber holiday home into a James Bond-style house on stilts
BBCNestled on the banks of a rural Carmarthenshire estuary, a 1960s home raised on stilts has been crowned Wales Home of the Year.
The property, owned by Iain and Paula Davies and their son Max, sits among a wildlife garden with countryside views.
When the couple bought the property in Ferryside in 1998 it was just a modest timber holiday home, with little hint of the award-winning transformation to come, but it reminded Iain of a house from a James Bond film.
Drawing on their creative backgrounds, the family spent almost three decades reimagining and renovating it.
Their transformation impressed judges on BBC's Wales' Home of the Year, who described the house as "perfection" and praised its links to the original 1960s character and calming atmosphere.
On Thursday, the Davies family were named the winners of the programme's fourth series, beating finalists from across Wales to take the title.
Paula, 61, said they "never dreamt we would be where we are today" when they first purchased their home almost 30 years ago.
Iain, 63, who grew up in Carmarthen, remembered spotting the holiday home as a child and was drawn back to it when they started property hunting.
He said: "When I first climbed up on the rocks, looked over the railway line, I saw this house, and it looked like a house from the James Bond film.
"When we were looking for a house I remembered it, and so it was the first house we saw and kept coming back to it."
Paula said they thought the property could be "a little Welsh version of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater" which is a house museum built partly over a waterfall in Pennsylvania, United States.
The couple, who are retired educators from Carmarthen School of Art, said the renovation process had been "slow" and there was "a lot of work to do at the start", which was undertaken by local traders.
Paula, originally from Swansea, said the home still had a "holiday feel", adding: "It's a big thing that people come here, they look out the window, and they say, 'wow'."
Iain and Paula bought the land next door to preserve it and turned the one-third of an acre into a wildlife garden surrounding the home, which includes a large pond at the rear.
"When we bought the property, we were both working in jobs that could be stressful at times and were also very visually stimulating," she said.
"So to have a home that's really quite clear and a quiet, calming space was a great way to unwind at the end of the day."
Paula said their style had always been "mid-century modern", which is seen in their living room, with some of their time period furniture inherited from their parents.
Their son Max, 20, also played a part in preparing the house and according to his parents, was often their "biggest critic" when designing it.
Before the filming crews arrived, he even tackled one room many parents might prefer to keep out of the spotlight.
"It was lovely that he wanted to be a part of it with us, and it's lovely that he tidied his bedroom for the filming," Paula laughed.
"He was dusting all his Lego, arranging it and getting rid of all the empty boxes and things."
Now studying architecture at university in Loughborough, Max's choice of degree was "influenced" by the home he grew up in, according to his parents.
For Iain, Paula and Max, the win is recognition of a passion project that has transformed a timber property into one of Wales' most celebrated homes.
The properties were judged by Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans alongside interior designer Mandy Watkins, from Anglesey, and Cardiff-based architectural designer Glen Thomas.
Paula said they were "surprised and delighted" by the judges' response as they felt it quite daunting to open up their home "to be critiqued" - and surrounded by "tough" competition.
They said the finalists "were all lovely" and they "enjoyed talking" to them about their homes while waiting for the judges to come to their decision.
Entering Wales' Home of the Year was also an opportunity to draw more people to the garden they have spent years developing around their estuary-side home.
The family previously opened the garden to visitors for charity fundraising events, initially in support of the local lifeboat service, before joining the National Garden Scheme (NGS), which raises money for nursing and health charities.
"We thought that if we entered Home of the Year, or hopefully did well in it, it would encourage more people to come and visit the garden," said Paula.
Visitors pay £6 to explore their garden, with additional funds raised through tea, coffee and homemade cakes. The family have raised more than £7,000 for charity throughout the past few years.
The other reason for entering the competition was simply a long-standing love of the programme itself.
"We've always watched it and loved it. We watch the Scottish programme. We'd watch the original Danish one if it was available over here."
Winning the competition was a moment they had to keep secret until the final episode aired.
"We had a little personal, private celebration with our son," Paula said. "It was such a lovely thing to share with him because he was about to go away to university."
They also celebrated with a watch party with friends on Thursday night.
