I accidentally bought a home for £10,000 without seeing it first in a major mix up – but now I’m having the last laugh
A COUPLE who accidentally bought a home for £10,000 without seeing it first in a major mix up are now having the last laugh.
Cal Hunter, 26, and Claire Segren planned to buy a Glasgow flat but ended up with the keys to a dilapidated home in Dunoon, Argyll.
But despite their error, the couple, who had been to Scotland just once before, decided to commit to the purchase and revamp it entirely.
Cal, who placed the mistaken bid after going to the sale alone, told the Guardian: “The problem was auctioneers speak fast, and this one had a strong Glaswegian accent: I was really struggling to follow.”
On their first trip to the property, Cal admitted his reservations only grew.
Making matters even more complicated, the couple had bought just half of the building, meaning they spent the following six months buying two more derelict units.
They faced a daunting list of problems for the property, which had lain empty for more than 30 years.
But since 2019, they’ve been working on their new home full-time – and say they wouldn’t change a thing.
Experts told them the foundations needed to be repaired, a new roof would have to be installed, masonry above a bay window had collapsed and all the timber works inside the 19th century building were rotten.
The couple have finally finished and shared before and after pictures showing the renovation of the dilapidated property.
In a post on their whathavewedunoon Instagram page, Claire said: “The first of many before and afters – every time I see what the house looked like when we bought it, next to pictures of what it looks like now, it brings on a wave of emotions.
“I remember how overwhelmed and scared I was in those first months at Jameswood.
“Never in a million years did I expect our home to turn out so beautifully.
“Mixed with the waves of happiness is just the utter disbelief I have when walking through these spaces.
“When we arrived at Jameswood, this space was nicknamed the boardroom.
“It was one of the drier spaces in the house, owing to the vinyl flooring in the room above – which is probably why the floors had been nicked!
“We put down OSB and managed to pick up a free table that had been destined for a local bonfire (now our kitchen table).
“Long before the outdoor kitchen came to be, we cooked in here, had dinners and drinks with friends, and important ‘board meetings’ where we tried to figure out how the hell we were going to fix this house.
“Now, we have a homey kitchen and living space for flat 2 or our holiday rentals – a space to make new memories with friends and family – around a dinner table, or cozied up on the sofa.”
They are now finally ready to welcome guests to their home after a long four years.
The couple have confirmed their house has finally been signed off by inspectors.