The first viewing

After speaking with the estate agent to organise the viewing, the interesting story of the house started to evolve. The house was up for sale due to the owner sadly passing away.  Although the downstairs flat was still occupied it was only being rented. On completion of sale the tenant would obviously be given notice. The representative from the estate agency met us on site on 17 March 2010, let us in, and off we went exploring the many rooms. It only took a matter of minutes before realising it was perfect for us, despite what had happened to it over the years.   

There was an awful lot that may have put off any potential buyer, the first of which being the horrendous stench that hit you as walked in. The place hadn't been aired for years let alone days. The cooking of the tenant was not something to be desired. 

We started downstairs and managed to look beyond the shag pile patterned carpets and embosed wallpaper, fire places boarded over with gas fires stuck to them that resembled potential death traps as well as suncken floors and old sheets hung at the windows.   

The lay out was perfect. Downstairs there was a huge lounge, dining room and smaller breakfast room with what was formally a skullery and large pantry. Again there was plenty to look beyond including Sausage dogs, dirty net curtains and linolium you practicaly stuck to.  It was very dark which wasn't helped by the dirty net curtains at the window looking out onto what looked like the enourmous fire escape.

A door from the skullery then led to a courtyard area, just large enough to swing a kitten. There was an outbuilding with 3 blue doors and curiousity was certainly getting the better of us.  We checked out all 3, one was full of boxes, the second was a dirty old toilet which clearly hadn't been used for a very long time and finally a bunker full of coal.  (We immediately knew that would come in handy for a cold winters night!)

It soon became clear walking around the rest of the house that it needed a lot of TLC and some of the original features bringing back to life.  £ signs started rolling in front of our eyes, however, this did not stop us both feeling like this was exactly what we were looking for.  Our favourite room was the first floor bedroom with a view of Stoneygate Road and the large Sycamore tree because it had a very nice feel to it.