When your surveyor tells you midway through your build that your house is now worth a third less than what you paid for it, you either lose the motivation to keep going, or carry on and hope for the best. Ann Marie Cousins was a litigator when she and her husband, David, bought their home in Yorkshire and, although, she’d extended kitchens and bathrooms before, renovating a house that’s of architectural interest and in a conservation area was entirely new.
The couple bought the property in 2011 and the decor had a distinctly 1990s vibe with peach and yellow walls, but it was a beautiful house. Initially, they thought they’d only have to give it a refresh with a coat of paint and swift removal of the green carpets. But after living in the property for two years, they soon realised that to achieve the home they really needed for their growing family, they would have to undertake a bigger project.
