From pig farm to bespoke development (From The Northern Echo)

From pig farm to bespoke development

12:44pm Tuesday 24th March 2009 in Search

Nine years after a Yorkshire builder transformed a pig farm into a bespoke development, home owner Ian Lamming considers the past, the present and the future.

MENTION property in most circles at the moment and it will send shivers down the spine. Credit crunch this, mortgage blight that, property prices in free fall the other. Well call me quirky, but I still put my faith in bricks and mortar.

Frankly paper investments bore me. Numbers go up and numbers go down, but where’s the fun in that? Now a house, that’s an investment you can live in, show off and enjoy while you ride out the global meltdown.

In 2000 I moved into a stone-built four-bedder with a gargantuan garden and views to die for. If I told you the price you would blanch, scratch your head with incredulity and hate me for spotting a bargain.

Let’s just say that if we get anywhere remotely near the asking price we will have made a 200 per cent profit – now try doing that with stocks and shares.

Built by York builder Yorvik homes – with a pleasing amount of input from us – the gang couldn’t have taken more care or been more obliging. Because we got in early we were able to titivate what was already a decent enough design.

So in went the upgraded kitchen with tasty NEF appliances; the galleried staircase gained gallery-like floor level lighting; and ceilings sprouted flush-fitting down lighters instead of those hideous pendant affairs.

The fire came courtesy of trendy manufacturer CVO (they did the Big Brother fireplace) and the inglenook has burned to a deep bronze from the heat of countless logs dispatched in the fire bowl. There’s nothing better than the reflected glow and smell of a real fire.

The master bedroom sports a handmade oak dressing room precision built by a craftsmen from the Dales and as good today as when it was installed.

At the time, having a main bathroom and two en suites was avant-garde and guests over the years have enjoyed being self-contained in their very own suite.

Bathroom fixtures and fittings were plain enough when new not to date over the years and have stood the test of time, still polishing up nicely as I don rubber gloves and grab the Flash.

The 200ft long garden benefited greatly from a £40k makeover which maximised the panoramic views from the top of our very own hill.

Otherwise the development has matured well, aged like a fine wine in fact, which must be testament to how well Yorvik made it in the first place. In almost a decade, it has needed very little attention. The garden fence blew down twice, the roof was damaged by the great storm of whenever that was and we survived the great flood of Melsonby with no more than a few drops of water being driven under the front door.

But despite being happy we fickle folk of No 8 felt it was time to move on... it’s just a shame the market crashed and so far buyers are less than abundant.

Plan B then involves staying a while longer and giving the house a new feel. So the wooden floors that have served so well have been covered with carpet in lounge and bedroom to make it cosier for us and the little addition to the family who burst on to the scene last June.

And the master bedroom en suite is to have a makeover too; we are thinking about giving it the wetroom treatment with glass double shower and ceilingmounted drench-head.

New lighting will set off oblong tiles that will grace floor and walls alike. They will be heated from beneath and by a new wall mounted coloured towel rail.

The toilet and basin will be wall-mounted to reduce clutter in what is a small room and the cistern and piping will be hidden in the wall. Add in a bit of trendy tiling for effect and a tricked-up tap and the transformation should be complete – if any one out there wants to give us a price.

And in truth I am pretty happy to stay in a house that over the years has become my home. On the other hand, if a buyer does come along...