Welcome to my home

“I still pinch myself when I walk round my home – I can’t believe it’s really mine”

THE PROPERTY

A detached five-bedroom Seventies home in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

THE VALUE

Bought for £525,000 in 2016; now worth around £650,000.

It was the space that clinched it for Hollie and Ric Goodwin when they first went to view their detached Seventies house in Cheshire. ‘I was in two minds about moving home as I’d just had a baby but we needed a bigger long-term house where the children could have fun and we could have more space to entertain,’ says Hollie.

‘We only viewed this one property and could see its potential straight away,’ she explains. ‘We started the building work the day after we moved in! The previous owners had lived here for more than 20 years and nothing felt in the right place. There was a separate dining room and the galley kitchen was tiny, with dated rainbow tiles, pine units and black laminate worktops. It was crying out for an extension.’

The couple knocked together the kitchen and dining room, as well as extending at the rear. ‘Ideally, we would have had a roof lantern, but it wasn’t possible, structurally,’ says Hollie. ‘Instead, we went for bifold doors and Velux roof windows, which provide the lovely, light, airy feel I wanted. When it came to prioritising spending, our biggest investment was the kitchen. We kept the look simple and fresh, so it will be a classic for many years to come. I particularly love the island, where the kids have breakfast, as well as the big 8ft table that everyone fits around.’

With the hard graft done, Hollie and Ric could take their time decorating in the perfect neutral colour palette of whites, pinks and greys. ‘My dream is to have a place in the countryside with land all around once the children have grown up,’ says Hollie. ‘But we’ll stay here for 10 to 15 years as there’s a great community and I’m thrilled with how the house has been transformed.’