A couple have spent their life savings on transforming an old schoolhouse into a stunning holiday home.
Les and Sarah Murray, from Wirral, decided to take the plunge and buy the historic property, which was in need of an extensive renovation, ahead of their retirement.
Les, 62, and Sarah, 58, bought The Old Schoolhouse in the small village of Grandtully in Perthshire, Scotland, in April 2021, using money from downsizing their own home.
READ MORE: Liverpool Council confirms bin charge plan and maximum Council Tax increase
The three bedroom home was previously a village schoolhouse built in the 1850s - and the couple has now brought it back to life.
After finding tradesmen in the local area, Les and Sarah spent £50,000 of their life savings on the makeover, which included damp proofing, re-wiring, re-plumbing, installing a new bathroom, re-plastering, and carpeting floors throughout.
The project took around two months to complete in total, including redecorating it from top to bottom.
Sarah, who works as a wedding florist, used her keen eye for detail to inform the property’s contemporary yet cosy feel and upcycled antique Victorian furniture where possible.
The couple's hard work has now paid off, with the property being fully booked since it first opened to holidaymakers in July and racking up five bookings in the first 48 hours of going live on Sykes Holiday Cottages website.
After purchasing the property for £258,000, Les and Sarah estimate it to now be worth £350,000 following their refurbishments and expect to achieve an income of £15,000 in their first six months of letting alone.
Whilst any current income made is being put back into the property to keep it in top condition – such as installing double glazing this winter – Les and Sarah will eventually use it to top up their pensions, update parts of their home and travel abroad.
Les said: “After running a successful B&B for six years we knew we could handle a holiday home, but embarking on a renovation journey with The Old Schoolhouse was definitely challenging at times – particularly as we did not hire tradesmen until arriving on site in the middle of all the challenges of Covid-19, and we ran to a tight deadline.
“Our team of local tradesmen helped us to transform the property into the stylish and cosy cottage we’re proud to own today, and it has been fantastic to share it with visitors from across the UK – as well as enjoy it ourselves.
"We’re keen walkers and love to explore different parts of Scotland whenever the property is available.
“Sykes have been incredibly supportive and enabled us to enjoy a more hands off approach to holiday letting, which is what we were looking for as we edge towards retirement.
"Through their multiple platforms and partnership marketing we’ve been able to secure more bookings than we would’ve been able to manage ourselves!”
Sykes’ recent Scotland Staycation Index revealed a 22% increase in bookings to holiday lets in Scotland this past summer compared to 2019, and a 46% uplift in bookings for autumn and winter 2021.
The holiday let agency also reported a 65% year-on-year increase in new property enquiries in Scotland, with the average income for a holiday let in Scotland estimated to be around £16,000 each year.
For more photos and to view the property listing click here.
