Kay & David Hill's historic Kent home stole their hearts from the moment they saw it.'I remember peeping through the windows even before we stepped across the threshold and thinking "Extended Text - this is it"' Kay recalls.The cottage dates back to the 16th Century first built as a single-level hall house but extended upwards in the intervening centuries to create the upper floor. The property was brimming with original features - from crooked beams on ceilings and walls to inglenook fireplaces mullioned windows and floors laid with both brick and broad oak boards. The exterior meanwhile was a mix of old red brick mellow render and classic weatherboard.