We spent £150k and had to scrub mould off every wall. By Samantha Partington

When experienced renovators Joanne and Nigel Robinson bought a 20- room period property on the west coast of Scotland, the scale of its restoration was on a different level to anything they had tackled before.

The Pines, a late Victorian property built around 1895, surrounded by a stone wall, was a familiar landmark in Ayr and one which her four children walked past every day to get to school.

Intrigued by what lay within, when it was listed for sale Joanne insisted they go to view it.

“My children were horrified,” she said. “It was one step away from being derelict after sitting empty without heat or electricity for two years.”

The couple paid £520,000 for the house, just 10 minutes from the beach in a conservation area.

Two years on, after demolishing enough internal walls to fill five skips, the couple, both 51, have spent £150,000 renovating it and have just four rooms left to tackle.

Telegraph Money asked Julia Kendell interior designer for Kendell+Co and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Show to give her views.

Before artist Joanne, owner of The Little Art School, and Nigel, an air traffic controller, could move in they had to battle thick mould covering every wall and surface in the house.

Documenting their progress on their Instagram account renovating_ thepines, the couple set themselves a target of 10-days. “We’re both ex-Royal Air Force officers,” said Joanne. “We treated the cleaning like we were on an exercise. We worked 14-hour days going from room to room until it was free from mould.”

Major structural work included removing a staircase, adding a corridor and removing a downstairs bathroom to create space for a kitchen and walk-in pantry that would make even Nigella Lawson envious.

The decision to turn five small rooms into one big space was the right one, says Julia, giving the family a central hub. The “big room” with its high ornate ceilings is flooded with light from two sets of French doors to the side and rear which lead out into