Professional photographer, Paul Reeves and his wife Linda, fell in love with the near derelict, early 1700s forge but realised it would take time and vision to restore.

Two years on, the Old Smithy has been sympathetically renovated and extended to provide a delightful family home for Paul, Linda and their two young sons, Robert and William.

In times gone by the forge was used to make and repair bicycles for the residents of the village of Awbridge in Hampshire's lovely Test Valley. Original exposed beams and interesting detail give the house a very special warmth and charm which is enhanced by Nu-Heat underfloor heating.

We asked Paul why he had chosen underfloor heating. He told us: "When we first embarked upon the building and renovation we were invited to a friends house which had underfloor heating and I was very impressed. In the old part of the forge the rooms are quite small so we needed all the space we could get. And of course, the absence of radiators adds to the authenticity."

Our architect recommended Nu-Heat and we are really pleased with it. We chose terracotta tiles for the kitchen, hall, utility room and W.C. and carpet throughout the rest of the house.

It is such a comfortable form of heating to live in, an overall feeling of comfort." The Nu-Heat system was used in conjunction with a Nu-Heat EnergyMaster™ mains pressure hot water system which provides lashings of hot water - no doubt essential for Linda and two lively sons to look after.