Some people plan on moving homes based on a change in income, living situation or life event, whereas for others it can be a spur of the moment decision. For one couple in Greater Manchester, an impulsive choice was what led them to building their dream family home.
Gareth, 39, and Laura, 41, stumbled across a desirable property in a Tameside town which then gave them the bug to relocate. The couple, who have two sons, ended up buying a 1930's house on a hill and transformed it as part of a huge extension and renovation project.
Gareth spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we chat to a different homeowner across the north west about their buying and renovating journey; and take a look around to see how they've made their home their own.
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Gareth, who bought his first house in 2006 before buying a property with his partner Laura, said: "I sold my first house just before the property crash, so I ended up selling it at a bit of a loss. We then bought Laura’s aunties house together in Stalybridge.
"We lived there for a while, and then about four years ago around Christmas we were out for a pub lunch and as we were walking home we saw a house that we thought was nice.
"We noticed that it had been up for sale for a while, so we thought we’d make a cheeky offer on it and see if we got anywhere. Although we didn’t, that then started the bug for us wanting to move."
The couple put some offers in on a number houses but they weren't successful. They then came across this one in Stalybridge - but Laura wasn't so keen.
"This one came up which I loved but Laura wasn’t really up for it at first, it was a bit of a big project and we had two young children at the time who were four and six months old," Gareth said.
"The reason I wanted to go for this house was the position of it, it’s probably located on the best street in Stalybridge. It’s right at the top of a hill and the views out over Manchester are amazing.
"It came with quite a bit of land as well, so there was enough to be able to extend it and make it into what it is today.
"I eventually convinced Laura that we convert it and change it as part of a five year project, and then see where we found ourselves then."
Laura and Gareth bought the house for £440,000 which was above asking price.
“It was up for offers over £400,000 and we just thought you know what, let's go in high. So we offered £450,000 and then something came up as part of the valuation so we ended up knocking it down to £440,000," Gareth said.
"I think, at the time, we thought we had paid over the odds but looking back now it's incredible value. I don’t think you’d get anything quite like it now for that sort of money."
The couple described the house as 'dated' and they had big plans to modernise it.
“It was in good condition, it had been lived in by the same family for around 40 years," Gareth said.
"The lady that we bought it off was here on her own and I think the house was too big for her, the gardens were huge. It was dated inside as it was someone of an older generation’s taste.
“By the time we’d done the first viewing, I got home and did some drawings to show Laura what we could possibly do to it and that was it really, decision made.
"From the houses that we’d seen we had a few ideas of things that we wanted in our home. We wanted a balcony on the bedroom, a hot tub in the back garden, the white render look with grey windows, that type of modern home."
The couple moved into their house as soon as they got the keys and immediately put in the planning application for a two-storey wrap-around extension, which was soon approved.
"We put the planning application in as soon as we moved in as we got the drawings all done during the sales process. We got the planning application submitted pretty much the day after we moved in and then started looking around for costs and people to do the work and all the rest of it," Gareth said.
“It has had a two-storey wrap-around extension which was huge job and then we did some knock throughs as well. The living room is now almost three times the size that it was.
"We’ve pretty much changed the whole layout of the house. It was four bedrooms when we bought it and it’s still four now but they are completely different bedrooms, none of them were en-suites before, now three of them are en-suites.
"We’ve done some DIY and had workmen in. They did the initial build and we've had professionals in to do a full rewriting and a new heating system, and then by myself I've done two bathrooms, most of the garden work and the office."
The couple began the build in September 2019 and they have since completed all the main living areas, with just a few parts of the home still to do.
Gareth said: "I think the actual build itself took probably around 15 months in the end. The interior fit out took probably another six months.
"The main living areas are done, the living room, the kitchen, our bedroom, bathrooms and the back garden is almost done.
“We’re working on the back garden at the minute, I've just finished a decking up at the top of the garden and we’re finishing off the two en-suite bathrooms and a bedroom for our youngest child.
"“I’m very happy with how it's all looking up to now, it’s absolutely exactly what I pictured when we first set out the plans."
Speaking of their interior choices, Laura said: “I’d say our interior style is Scandi-chic. The kitchen is very Scandi style but the living room is a lot more classic so I think this probably covers both styles.”
Giving us a tour around their home, Gareth described: "Through the front door you enter into the hallway where you've got a stairwell. A door to the right leads into the living room and a door to your left leads into the home office.
"We’ve got a downstairs toilet, a utility room and then a boot room leading into the garage.
"Through a glass door you then go into the kitchen, dining, living area. We’ve got a gym at the end of the kitchen. In the kitchen, there's two sets of four metre bifold doors that open out onto the garden.
"Because of the position of the house being on a hill, the garden is all tiered, so you come out onto a deck, then you go up some steps onto a patio, up some more steps onto another patio or you go the other way where there is a grass area.
"Further up at the top there is a deck with a hot tub, summer house and lounge area. Then just down from that by the side of the house is an astro turf kids play area.
Gareth continued: "Back inside if you go upstairs you come to a large floor to ceiling window on the landing. To the left you’ve got the main bathroom and then walking back round again you’ve got our youngest son’s bedroom which is a non ensuite bedroom.
"To the rear of the house you've got another bedroom which is going to be an en suite bedroom. Walking down the corridor on your left side you've got our eldest son’s bedroom with an en-suite which is a new bedroom as part of the build.
"Then to the end of that corridor is the master suite which is our bedroom. It’s got a large bathroom, a walk-in wardrobe, and a large bedroom area with bifold doors that lead out onto a balcony where we’ve got amazing views of fields."
Speaking about their plans for the future, Gareth said: "I think it’s our forever family home, certainly until the kids grow up and flee the nest. It’s definitely our dream home. I don’t think we ever pictured ourselves being in this position.
"Doing a project like this costs a lot more than you might think, it takes a lot more time and it's a lot more upheaval than you might imagine but it’s definitely 100 percent worth it if you’ve got the patience and you can continue to get along as a family then the rewards are there at the end of it."
Want to feature your home in Where I Live? If so, please email your details to phoebe.jobling@reachplc.com.
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