Characterful house in the country

Lisa and Ian Milne had been living close to Watford for 17 years when they decided the time was right to escape to a more rural area. “We wanted to be somewhere more tranquil but were commuting into London, so wherever we moved would need to have good transport connections,” says Lisa. “We found a house we liked but ended up losing out in a bidding war. As I worked in property funding I had good industry contacts, so we