We sold two homes to build a perfect house

SHEILA and Geoffrey McGaughey, from Surrey, bought a third of an acre from their neighbour which had a derelict house on the land.

Sheila, 76, and Geoffrey, 79, got a taste for property development after renovating their three-bedroom cottage and felt ready to take on a bigger project. The plan was to demolish the existing property on the land and build a new three-bedroom single storey home.

Sheila, who owned an interior design shop before she retired, worked with an architect on its design. The couple then chose specialist firm Border Oak to supply, deliver and build the frame of the house, add the roof and install doors and windows. A builder finished the work and Sheila took care of the interior design.

They started the project in September 2014. Not long after the derelict house was demolished, concerns mounted that the land was waterlogged. Our digger sunk into a hole that had opened up in the ground,’ says Sheila.

‘We were worried the plot might be too wet but we overcame the problem with concrete piles in the foundations.’ A year later they moved in. To pay for the project, the couple sold their holiday home in Spain and their cottage.

The land cost £491,000 and the building work, interior design and the landscaping a further £500,000.

Once completed, the property was valued between £1.2 million and £1.3 million. ‘We have always been adventurous,’ says Sheila.

‘It was huge fun, perfect being so close to where we lived. We would do it all again.’