A woman decided to buy a home 70 years after her grandparents first moved in to it.
When primary teacher Anna McKinlay, 37, and her partner Rob decided to buy a home together they found it an almost impossible task. The couple had almost given up - thanks to a mix of Brexit, Covid and a massively competitive housing market they just couldn't keep up with - when a house that Anna knew well turned into a viable option.
Years ago, in the 1950s, Anna's grandparents had bought a house in Grassendale. It was then bought by her parents in the 80s, then, two years ago, it was offered to Anna and her partner.
The ECHO's Where I Live series explores one home from across the region each week, asking its owner to tell us a little about the story behind what makes it much more than just four walls in which to live.
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Anna told the ECHO: "It's been in the family for a good few years now. This was my second home, the second I'd lived in.
"We hadn't really intended to do it really. When we were trying to buy a house it was like the worst time we could've possibly tried to buy and sell a home.
"You were expected to put an offer in on a house after only viewing it once, it's the most expensive purchase of your life and you're expected to do it on whim.
"But then my mum and dad were thinking of downsizing anyway, so we thought this is the area that we'd been looking for and it's the perfect home for us. And obviously I've got a lot of memories here as well and we just thought let's just do it.
"I know the house, I know the area, and my parents, they kept a lot of the original features of the house. That was something that when we were looking at other properties we didn't want a new build or somewhere that had been completely stripped of any character."
"The house has got all its original fireplaces, the original panelling in the hall, picture rails, stained glass windows in the porch. They were all things we would look at in other homes and fall in love with.
"I've just only got happy memories of being here - of having family parties and having family and friends round for celebrations and that's what we're wanting to carry on really.
"I think that it was only my nan who I knew, my grandad had died before I was born. I think he'd probably be quite happy that the house has been passed down generation to generation."
Anna has been renovating the home and intends to keep the original features while turning it into 'a space we can grow into'. As part of the project she has moved the kitchen across to the other side of the house and added bifold doors and a series of windows, to give a full corner view of the garden.
She said: "Everything seems to have gone to plan. It's been a long process but it seems to have gone okay so far. We've lived in it through the extension.
"Everything that we've done we've lived through. We've just been living in our front room, that's turned into our living room, kitchen, dining area.
"Everything has been put into our front room. I don't think we'll know ourselves once everything opens up and we've got all of this space.
"I thought that when we'd taken down the kitchen they might be a bit upset to see the house in disarray but they've been really excited about the whole process and come around each week to see what's happened.
"My mum is always sending me different ideas for different interiors. My dad's got stuck in as well. They've been great."
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We'll be taking a look inside a different property each week. If you're splurging on a renovation, trying your hand at DIY to save money, or have a passion for interiors, let us know.
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