Page 42 - ESPC_Sept24

AT HOME WITH
Beside the seaside The couple had been looking for a new home

for a while, and after the speedy sale of their
first property, they were surprised to find a
differently paced market for their Macmerry
We completely
home, with the house taking 18 months to sell.
stripped the house back
“We hoped each week we would sell, and
Hannah Biddulph and her husband John found that a set of derelict during that time we fell in love with so many to the original stone
fishermen’s cottages were a real catch. homes and lost out on them. I fell pregnant
with our first son, Samson, and I was sure that walls and started again.
by the time I had the baby, we would be sitting
pretty in our new forever home, but that wasn’t It’s basically a new
the case.”
s the owner of two seaside holiday lets in The wee gem in question was in fact a row of house in an old shell.
East Lothian, Hannah Biddulph knows three fishermen’s cottages, that the couple
A what makes a property appealing. And transformed into one family home. “It sounds However, everything worked out perfectly,
with plenty of renovation experience under grand, but they were tiny, with just two rooms with their slower sale eventually leading them
their belts, Hannah and her husband John were in each cottage, and there was still an outside to the cottages that would soon become their
the right people for the job when they came toilet!” laughs Hannah. “I knew I wanted an dream home.
across a truly unique proposition in the pretty older property, but never in my wildest dreams
town of Cockenzie back in March 2016. did I think that I would end up with a home “We used ESPC to look for a property, renovation project, we did want something
whose oldest parts date back to 1690.” and although we weren’t looking for a full we could upgrade and put our own stamp on.
“Our first property purchase was an accidental I signed up for the My ESPC email alerts and
‘property flip’”, explains Hannah. “We bought have never switched them off! I love getting
a three-bedroom flat with a river view in daily emails with what’s for sale. I was on the
Haddington, and did a complete renovation on website every day checking for homes in the
it, thinking we would be staying. However, we east of East Lothian especially, and we found
knew that in just six months we’d added lots a property that’s just around the corner from
of value, so we decided to move on, to a three- our now home. We loved it very much but were
storey townhouse in Macmerry. We lived there pipped to the post – just as well, as our home
for seven years, until we found a derelict wee became available only a week later.”
gem, right on the beach in Cockenzie.”
It wasn’t love at first sight for Hannah and John,
however, with the scale of the works required
giving them plenty to be cautious about. “After
the first viewing, we walked away. The roof
had water pouring through it, the walls were
thick with damp, there was woodworm, and
of course the outside toilet. I think the first
viewing overwhelmed us; it was a rainy, cold
November day with a toddler running about,
and we thought the project was too big. Our
family friend (and builder) Wayne MacDonald
came with us for a second viewing and gave
us insights into how we could make it work for
us financially.”

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