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A Teesside electrician who transformed a dilapidated barn without a roof into a luxury five-bedroom home has put his home up for sale for the first time.
The Barn, at Moorsholm, was practically falling down and had been on the market two years when Michael Connor bought it. With “some help from Pinterest” and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, he gave the place a monumental makeover.
Michael’s labour of love saw it transformed into a stunning five-bedroom property with “magical” views of the national park. Now the 52-year-old has decided to sell his home of five years.
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He explained: “I wanted to do something different. I work offshore and for myself, I’ve done a lot of work rewiring houses when the builders are in. You see renovations and I always fancied doing it.
“I bought it as a shell. The builder I got from made it watertight, got the roof back on. It was all full of cement and concrete.
“I just loved the building and the fact they’re all unique and different. I was looking at new builds at the time and the rooms were small and all looked the same.”
(Image: Fine & Country)
But Michael almost “started to regret it” once he had to start grappling with the red tape that comes with such a big project. “Because it was a Grade II listed on a national park, you have to jump through hoops to get anything done,” he says.
“Adding a log burner, an extra window, even getting two sheds needed planning permission. I had to wait three months every time I put an application in.
“There were a couple of sleepless nights, but mostly I found it quite exciting at what I’d achieved, from what it was before. We got there in the end. Once it was all finished, I was glad I’d done it.”
“The whole area was a mess,” he continued, “now the old farm at the back is being done and a lad in the village has bought next-door. “It’s gone from the worst part of the village to the nicest.”
(Image: Fine & Country)
The Barn has been Michael’s home with his eight-year-old daughter since 2017 but it’s time to move on. “I want to downsize and eventually stop working offshore.
“It seems a waste to have something so big. The fireplace, the stone walls and the views are the things I love most.
“You can see Freeborough Hill, which was added to a set of eight national heritage Royal Mail stamps last year. A friend said ‘you’ve got a first-class view’, which I liked.
“I’m going to miss it, I ummed and ahhed a lot. My daughter is even more gutted I’m selling than I am. But I would rather a family was in here, getting the pleasure of it 365 days a year.”
The Barn has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, with solid wood flooring, well-manicured gardens and a “generously sized” log burner in the lounge. Upstairs also boasts an open-plan balcony and a Jack and Jill en-suite.
The garden has a seating area which is “great for relaxing and looking over the national park”. Sophie Metcalfe, from agent Fine & Country, says: “The Barn is full of character, and has the most fantastic twist of period property and modern living.”
* The Barn is on the market for £750,000. Contact Sophie on 07946 832981 or 01845 518444.
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