Having the best of both worlds

This house had been on the Schellekens’ wish list for a few years. ‘We lived nearby and every time we drove past, we’d look at each other and knew it was exactly what we wanted,’ says Ellen. ‘Then, five years ago, it came up for sale and we finally got the opportunity to look inside.’

The property had been vacant for a while and hadn’t been modernised in any way by its previous owners. ‘We knew it would take some work, but many of the original period details were still in place so we could see its potential,’ says Ellen. With their four young children, the huge garden was the icing on the cake.