Woman ‘mortgages herself to the hilt’ to buy and renovate derelict barn – and has now DOUBLED the value of the home

Last updated: 2024/02/08 at 12:09 PM

Freya Coombes

6 Min Read

A woman has revealed how she made £238,000 in profit after renovating an old barn into her dream home – but it was no easy feat.

When Anna Roberts, 40, bought a derelict barn, she knew it would be a challenge to turn the space around.

And an expensive one, too.

She paid £300,000 for the home and 10 acres of land, and then spent £112,000 on the DIY, doing the work herself and with the help of family members.

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But it’s all paid off, with Anna getting her cash back – and then some.

“I bought the barn and mortgaged myself to the hilt, rather naively,” the CEO, from Anglesey, Wales, told What’sTheJam.com.

Anna Roberts the woman who turned a derelict barn into her dream home, making a profit after years of DIY renovation. — *Anna in a trench. (Picture: Jam Press)*

“I managed to get planning permission myself and spent the majority of my weekends through my 20s and early 30s working on it – literally in the trenches.

“I soon realised that you either need plenty of money or plenty of time and resources for these things (and ideally both).

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“And I had neither.

“There’s nothing like doing it yourself and to say it’s been a labour of love is an understatement.”

Despite being optimistic about the project, Anna almost quit on several occasions.

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The DIYer remained committed though, even living in a caravan in her garden at one point while doing the work on the house.

She said: “I frequently felt like giving up.

“It was hard because, with little time or money to invest in it, it was impossible to set a timescale for the work and stick to it.

“When it came to the build itself, my biggest problem initially was that there were no foundations to speak of.

“It was dark, damp, physically demanding, and soul-destroying work, and the power tools were really heavy and noisy.

“I lived in a caravan in the garden and would spend every weekend on it, in between working away mid-weeks.

“I would literally be on my hands and knees digging into the ground under the walls.”

Tackling the 300-year-old building, Anna had to tear down most of the original structure, rebuilding it from scratch without the help of builders.

She said her dad, was her rock, helping her create her dream vision.

Anna said: “My dad used to be a self-employed builder before having to retire for health reasons before we bought the place.

“He was a fountain of knowledge when I was doing the barn, but also my biggest critic, especially when it came to the quality of my stonework.

“The rest of my family thought I was crazy and told me so.

“They couldn’t understand why I would want to take on such a responsibility.”

Anna started the work on her home when she was just 23 years old.

It would take her almost a decade to finish – with her officially moving into the home in 2017.

But she has no regrets and is sharing her story for the first time in the hopes of inspiring other young people to take the plunge, despite the current dire state of the UK’s property market.

She added: “It’s been such a big part of my life to date, in all respects, that it feels like a part of me.

“I’m always wowed by it when I walk through the front door.

“I’m proud of myself for taking a chance on something which has so massively paid off now, even though there were so many times when I could have, and felt like, giving up.

“I love the results I’ve achieved and it’s very satisfying living and working from such a beautiful home that you have designed, paid for, and built yourself.

“I would encourage people to go into it with their eyes wide open.

“I believe building your own home connects you to one of your most primitive urges for shelter and warmth, don’t be surprised when it triggers emotions you weren’t expecting.”