Page 36 - December 2022

AT HOME WITH

reconstruction
Tenement

Zak Ritchie gives a glimpse into the process of buying and
renovating a two-bedroom tenement flat in Leith, and how
ESPC helped him on his buying journey.

ak and his wife Cassandra set out We are still currently finding time at the
to find a tenement flat in Edinburgh weekends to do that.”
Zbut they were concerned about
getting a mortgage as they had a tricky After getting the keys, the couple set to
set of circumstances – Cassandra was work renovating the property.
doing a PhD and not many mortgage
providers would accept her income. After What was the renovation process like?
speaking to a few different mortgage Zak started by putting in a new bathroom
advisors, they employed the help of Paul as the floor was rotting. He also had to
Demarco of ESPC Mortgages to help undertake a damp course.
them with the process.
They then updated the kitchen space,
“Paul found us a good mortgage and he which involved changing the layout of
moved mountains to make it happen,” the room: “There was a weird cupboard/
Zak explains. “He’s on the ball and is very cellar at the base of the kitchen and we
precise.”
have turned it into a storage area where
we keep the washing machine.”
The couple used the ESPC website to
search for properties and eventually
found one sold by Deans Properties, one
of ESPC’s chartered member firms. They
were drawn to the flat because it has
garden space and on-street parking.

Zak says: “We were looking for a flat in
the city so we browsed the ESPC website
looking for the right one.

“We had a budget and this flat was
within it. I’m handy so we knew we could Living room (before)
renovate it and decorate how we wanted.

espc.com | 37
36 | espc.com Living room (after)