From a tiny bungalow to a million-pound dream home: The inspiring property journey of a Cheshire couple

Owning a home that ticks over into the million-pound bracket is the stuff of daydreams for many, but for Claire Freshney, a 35-year-old mum-of-two originally from Blackpool, this lofty aspiration has turned into stone-cold reality.

Claire shares that it wasnt all smooth sailing though; she and her husband commenced their journey in a modest two-bedroom bungalow. By adopting the savvy strategy of buying the 'worst house on the best street', renovating them and then selling them off at a profit, they slowly ascended the property ladder.

Despite their knack for rejuvenating homes and selling them on successfully, owning a million-pound property seemed like a distant pipe dream. However, an unexpected turn came about when an estate agent introduced them to their 'favourite house in the area', sparking Claire to genuinely believe or manifest that it would one day be theirs.

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Now living in her million pound dream home in Frodsham, Claire said: "I moved to Cheshire when I got with my now husband. First of all we were in a tiny two-bedroom bungalow. We then had a couple of other houses which we did up together and flipped to make a bit of money," bringing a glimmer of hope to those dreaming of their own million-pound marvel, reports the Manchester Evening News.

"We then bought a farmhouse and renovated that completely. We didn't even have a survey done because we were like no matter what, we're going to do everything from scratch. That was our biggest project before this house."

Claire revealed the couple's strategy has always been to target homes with untapped potential, choosing promising yet underloved properties in coveted spots. "We've kind of gone down the route of finding the worst house on the best street. We've always done a bit of research to make sure that no matter what we spend on it, it's going to give us a return on our investment," she explained.

She recounted how past property ventures built up enough equity to lay down a significant deposit for their current dwelling. "We've made quite a bit of equity in previous properties which allowed us to have a really substantial deposit for our current home. I definitely say we've always gone for the houses that we thought have great potential."

The farmhouse sale became inevitable once Claire's pregnancy prompted a search for something better suited to family life. "When I was pregnant we realised the house we were in wasn't going to be our forever home, and we just wanted something a little bit bigger. It was also on a main road so there was a lot of noise and pollution."

It was through sheer serendipity that her ideal home appeared, a property deemed unattainable at first glance. "The estate agent who was selling our house told us they had a new property come on the market which was their 'favourite house in the area'," Claire reminisced.

"We asked her to show us it as we just wanted to be nosey, but when she told us the price we said it was way out of our budget, because it was on the market for more than a million pounds. We just didn't even think it was an option to be honest. We completely disregarded it as we didn't think it was possible."

Despite the steep price tag, Claire couldn't shake off her affection for the property. She shared: "I'm big into manifesting and I started creating Pinterest boards of the house and what I'd like to do to it. As we lived nearby, we kept driving past it and one day we actually knocked on the door and had a chat with the owners who invited us in."

"The previous owners had the house for 40 years. It wasn't to our interior taste but everything was really great quality and you could see its potential. From the outside it just had the wow factor," Claire remarked.

"The back garden for me was the biggest selling point. It has its own beautiful pond. I'm not a gardener by any means, but I remember sitting outside and I could just see us living there and imagined my children playing out there."

The couple's aspirations of homeownership became tangible after a visit to the mortgage company.

"It was only after going to the mortgage company and realising what they were willing to lend us that we just thought 'wow maybe we can do this'. We told ourselves we'll do what we can to it within the first couple of years, and even if the rest of it takes a number of years thereafter then it's achievable."

Claire and her partner took the plunge into their new home in February 2020, amidst the challenges of raising a newborn just eight weeks old, which she concedes was tough. "I didn't settle at all and I mourned our old house," she confessed.

She felt the absence of warmth and character keenly in their new abode, as the previous occupants had stripped it bare. Coupled with the overwhelming experience of being a new mother, Claire found the transition jarring.

"The previous owners had taken everything out of here so it had no life or soul. I also think because I was a new mum it was daunting and it was all a real shock to the system, but as the house started to come back to life I felt much better."

Renovations commenced shortly after they received the keys, with the nursery being the unexpected starting point.

"Weirdly even though she was so young we did that first. I don't know why we did that. Then we just wanted to get the bedrooms and the bathroom done," she explained.

Claire shared that their home has been a hive of activity with constant renovations over three years. "For a good three years we've had people non-stop doing work in the house. Everywhere downstairs is now complete apart from we still have the original wooden kitchen as we're waiting on planning to go through."

Claire shared her vision for the property's development, saying: "We put some planning permission in to go into the loft, move the triple garage to the front of the house so that we can then extend out of the current kitchen and into the garages which are currently there.

"We've had to appeal for some planning for the freestanding garage that we want, it's just now the dormers which have been declined. We might have to try and appeal it again. But we're actually seeing it as a positive because it's given us a bit of a break.

"In the loft we've got plans for a double balcony on the back, one is going to be a Juliet balcony and the other will be a balcony with seats. The loft will have an en-suite, dressing area, a seating area and a master bedroom. The house is currently five bedrooms but it will be six once we go into the loft."

Describing her current home aesthetic, Claire remarked: "I'd say it is classic modern with a mix of French chic. Traditional and modern kind of combined I would say. I'm inspired quite a lot by Sophie Paterson. She's a little bit more modern than I am, but I would definitely say that's where some of the inspiration come from.

"There's still so many things I want to do to the house from an interior styling perspective, so it doesn't feel finished and I'm really just itching to get everything done, so then we can just concentrate on work and family life."

Guiding us through her home, Claire detailed: "After coming through the front door, on the left side you've got a lounge and playroom. To the right we've had bifold doors put in from the hallway so you can see into the dining room and the snug. In the hallway we've got the downstairs toilet straight ahead on the right and we have built-in a cloakroom on the left."

She elaborated further: "Then you walk through the snug into the kitchen and we've got a utility room. Upstairs you've got two bedrooms on the right hand side which are the children's bedrooms and then on the left there's a longer corridor which has got two rooms on the left which is the bathroom and my bedroom."

"On the right side is the office and then you can come back down the corridor onto the landing at the top of the stairs where there is just one more bedroom on the left and that's the main bedroom with an en-suite."

Looking ahead, the mother shared: "I think probably we will live until my two kids are at least at senior school. It's a lovely family home, but once they leave home again, I think we'll end up downsizing and just put more money into going on holidays and things."

Follow Claire's Instagram @clairefreshneylife to see more of their stunning family abode.

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