Most people who have ambitions to climb the property ladder have to start small and work their way up in the hopes of one day owning their dream home. Buying, renovating and selling houses can take a lot of time, patience and perseverance before you eventually get to where you want to be.
This traditional route is the one that Debbie Newton, 35, took which led her to owning the five-bed detached house in Bacup where she lives today. Debbie spoke to us as part of our Where I Live series, where each week we take our readers inside a different home across the region to look around, find out how much it cost and see how the owner has renovated it to make it their own.
Debbie has lived in the Rossendale Valley all of her life and, after buying and selling two other properties, she has now gone full circle and bought a house on the same street that she grew up on which holds some special childhood memories.
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Debbie, who got on the property ladder at 22, said: "My idea was always to buy houses, do them up and sell them on, but this house that I'm in now is my forever home.
“I knew the house had a lot of history and lots of potential. I wanted to transform it and bring it back to its former glory, and that’s why I bought it."
Debbie explained: "The house used to be my friend's home growing up and I have many childhood memories from playing here. It was built in 1991 by a man named Tony who built it for his family, but sadly he passed away a few years later. The house meant a lot to the family but eventually they had to sell it and move on.
"When I was a child I used to think it was this big beautiful house at the end of the street and I felt very much like I had a connection to it, so when it came up for sale years later I had to buy it."
Debbie, who is a sports massage therapist, bought the stone-built three-storey house in March 2020 for £240,000 - but it didn't come without its challenges.
"I moved in the day before lockdown and moving day was mayhem. The house didn’t quite look like how it did when I viewed it - it wasn’t in a great state and I knew there was a lot of work to do," Debbie said.
"In lockdown it was a struggle to get people out to do work on it so I had to put things on hold. But as lockdown began to ease off I was able to get going with it. Since then I’ve been renovating it, I've put new floors throughout, I’ve built a media wall in the living room and decorated and plastered throughout.
"I’ve done everything that I can myself as I try and turn my hand to things where I can."
Debbie's house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac and is built into a hill, and she says it is like nothing else on the street.
"It's very unique and it’s different to anything else on the street because it was self built," she said.
"I've kept a lot of the original features and there's loads of little quirks here, there and everywhere. There is a secret door behind the utility room with a massive space that’s just been left. Apparently the original owner was going to put a swimming pool there.
"There’s also a stone in the wall that the original family put in together and I kept that. I send my friend Natalie pictures of it on the anniversary of her step-dad Tony's death."
"There’s a lot of sentimental value here and my family also love coming here because we all grew up on this street so they like to come back and reminisce.
"There are also still some neighbours here that were here when I was a child and my mum also still lives at the top of the street," Debbie added.
Giving a tour around her home, Debbie explained: "On the ground floor level there is a garage and utility. The house is elevated so you when you enter via some stairs outside then you're on the first floor.
"As you walk in there’s a hallway, kitchen to your left and a third reception room which I use as a gym. On the other side of the hallway there’s a large living room to your right and a main living room and patio doors that lead out onto the back garden.
"Upstairs on the second floor is the main bedroom on your left with an en-suite, a large bedroom to your right, two other double bedrooms, the fourth bedroom which is now my walk-in wardrobe and and a main bathroom."
Debbie has some ambitious plans to completely transform her house in the near future.
“I want to create an open-plan living concept and turn it into a nice family home with a new kitchen and things like that," she said.
"I've just started converting the utility room into a space for my massage therapy. I’d also love to convert the attic at some point because it is huge. It’s got really amazing views all over the Rossendale Valley so to go up into the attic would be even more amazing."
Talking about the interior design and style of her home, Debbie said: "My interior style changes all the time as I’m renovating and decorating.
"I wouldn’t say it's modern, it’s quite traditional as I’ve kept a lot of old features from the original house. I’ve put in some panelling and I’ve got a lot of oak and natural woods running throughout.
"I wanted it to be a really warm, cosy and inviting home. I’m a massive fan of Christmas so when I think of my home I envision what it’s going to look like at Christmas. It took a long time for me to settle in and I was constantly working on it every day but its been worth it.
"It’s my dream home and I could see myself being here for the rest of my days and eventually having a family here."
Want to get involved in Where I Live? If you are a homeowner or tenant that lives in the north west and you are interested in featuring in our weekly series, please email: phoebe.jobling@reachplc.com.
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