WE’VE MADE £1.43m ON OUR GORGEOUS GEORGIAN HALL

PAID: £770,000 SPENT: £1m NOW WORTH: £3.2m PROFIT: £1.43m lisa, 44, and alex Homer, 47, bought Grassfield Hall near Harrogate (grassfield-hall.co.uk) in 2010 for £770,000, which included a fivebedroom cottage. The couple have a son, 17, and daughter, 12. lisa says:

On A gloomy day in April 2010, Alex and I and my parents went to view a dilapidated, grade II-listed Georgian mansion, our hearts set on a renovation project and a change in lifestyle.

I was working as cabin crew and running our B&B in harrogate, while Alex worked in finance, had a share in a taxi company, and was renovating small properties.

When we arrived at Grassfield, the four-acre garden was overgrown, the windows and doors were boarded up, the stonework dark and dirty, and parts of the walls were crumbling. But Alex and I were starry-eyed, visualising how this once grand house could be a magnificent home.

two months later, in June 2010, we bought it.

First, we made the cottage habitable so we could live there. When we began renovations on the main house, we hired specialists to replicate the original cornices, and lay the marble and parquet floors.

We designed the interiors ourselves and sourced luxurious furnishings.

now complete, the main house has eight large ensuite bedrooms, and it can be hired out for short breaks, events, or small weddings.

We were recently offered £3.2 million for it by a wedding event company but said no immediately. Selling isn’t an option — it’s our home and we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved.