‘It was stressful but worth it’
Having moved from East London to Southend in Essex, where they could afford to renovate a period house after their second daughter was born, it was seven years before Carla Harris and husband Elliot sold up again, moving 20 minutes away to Hockley. They were happy to rent for a few years before resuming the search for their next property, but finding the right one proved tricky. ‘We didn’t see one house where there wasn’t a compromise,’ recalls Carla. ‘So in a crazy moment, we decided to build our own.’
The couple found a dated two-bedroom bungalow that was liveable but
