The highs and lows of an older home: ‘We talk about houses in terms of efficiency and output, as though they should function like machines’

I like the heaviness that settles over the first months of the year. The long nights and short winter light suit slower routines and early starts. I typically like to take this time slowly, so it was slightly surprising to find myself renovating a 1940s terraced house – stripping it back and rebuilding it.