A COUPLE has revealed the stress they went through after purchasing their forever home on Facebook Marketplace.
Chris and Becky said “things got a little carried away” when they moved into their rundown house in Wales.
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HOUSING CRISIS
The couple’s problem started long before they packed their stuff and loaded the van.
They had planned to move into a house they’d call their forever home, but the buying chain above them fell apart, and their dreams of moving to Wales were destroyed.
Without a home, the pair were forced to ask for help while they searched for a new property.
“We had already sold our house so we found ourselves homeless,” said Chris.
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“Our friends Sarah and Ian offered us a place to rent in Hay-on-Wye while we continued our search, which was lucky and kind because the Covid lockdown made things pretty tricky.”
Chris and Becky found another house located near the Welsh border, but once again the sale fell through, leaving the couple back at square one.
Not long after, Chris and Becky found their dream home in the most unexpected place – Facebook Marketplace.
We saw a house on Facebook Marketplace and as soon as I saw the photos I said, ‘that’s the sort of place I am looking for’, but thought it would probably already be sold.
Chris
The pair had to anxiously wait all weekend before contacting the agent, who was not eager to sell the property, according to Chris.
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Finally, Chris and Becky went to see the house in Wales but it was not what they had expected.
They admitted the house was run down and was in desperate need of work.
We bought a £95K bungalow, gutted it and made our dream home in just 5 months – we also made a whopping £40K profit too
Becky was not keen on the property and told Chris not to make any offers, which he said was lucky as the agent wouldn’t accept one until the pair had a good think about it and a second viewing.
Chris said: “But I was smitten by it from the first moment and could only see the potential, on reflection, I should have maybe considered how much work was required.”
The interior was fine but all the rooms needed work done and the exterior was in a “sorry state”, Chris claims.
Yet, Chris was in love with the house as it offered loads of space and the property sat beautifully “nestled in the hills with a sweeping drive and large barn“.
Once he convinced Becky that this could be their dream home, the pair purchased the property and got to work immediately.
Chris asked his friend who was a builder to have a look at the house.
Even though there were tons of repairs to do, he wasn’t too worried, Chris claims.
HANDS-ON
Chris and his family spent the next three years fixing up their home, which is almost done now.
They spent the first year sorting out the major problems like the drainage and making the barn strong.
This would prove to be a good move as the couple later had to move into it while they fixed the main house.
Chris explained: “It was all exciting stuff and in my mind’s eye it all had great potential.
“The oak-framed barn had been added about 12 years earlier but never completed so that was a project on its own.”
They spent most of the second year fixing the outside of the house and also converted the garage into an office space.
Chris and Becky focused on the land around the house and “created an orchard” at the back of the garden.
The pair cleared two streams that run through the grounds and Chris planted more than 300 trees which he says “was hard”.
After three years of hard work, the couple finally moved into the main house, but there was still a lot of work left to do.
They had to replace all the windows with “double-glazed wooden sashes to match as closely as possible to the originals”.
Starting from scratch Chris and Becky took the opportunity to “insulate as much as possible” and had to redo the flooring, plumbing and electrics.
Chris explained: “Pretty much everything that came out has been re-used, all the floorboards now being used to clad the walls in the barn and workshop.”
The pair admits it was stressful living on-site and sometimes felt like it would never end.
We were living in chaos, Becky likes a clean house and everything in order, this whole project was the antithesis of that.
Chris
To escape the anxiety they regularly went on walks in the scenic Welsh hills.
Chris shared: “No matter what issues we were facing, a couple of hours walking and talking would always see us come up with a plan and a brighter mood.”
HINDSIGHT
One factor that Chris said was overlooked is how much they’d have to spend on materials the builders needed.
Chris added: “We failed to appreciate the sheer scale of things and the volumes of materials required, and the winters were very, very cold no matter how many logs we burnt.”
The couple has accepted that their forever home will always be a project and look forward to working on their garden “for many years to come”.
“Plan, plan some more, then plan again,” said Chris.
He added: “Don’t rush into stuff as you may change your mind or see a better way of doing something.”
Chris admits he is not good at creating solid plans but says “luckily cash flow” stopped him from making “rash decisions”.
He added: “Do not underestimate the hidden costs, small things add up, nails, glue, screws, masking tape, paint brushes, these alone can run into thousands.
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“Above all, be patient, seek advice, and get good trades in.
“Facebook Marketplace can throw up some great bargains, a spiral staircase, eight massive sliding doors, milk churn bar stools… and, of course, a house.”
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
