When James Davies first viewed The Elms in Curdridge, Hampshire, in 2014, he was far from impressed.
The 61-year-old, who runs a retirement living company, and his wife Sam, 51, a vineyard owner, had already spent four years searching for a new home.
Yet the five-bedroom Victorian property did little to excite them.
Built in 1880, the house needed extensive renovation.
Davies admits that its affordable £750,000 asking price was the main attraction.
“Nothing appealed to me about it,” he said. “It was affordable for us though.”
The couple nearly missed out altogether after another buyer initially secured the property.
But when that sale collapsed, their offer was accepted.
The purchase then became a lengthy process.
With 13 properties involved in the chain, completion took 11 months.
Ten Years of Renovation
The Davies family finally moved into The Elms in August 2014 and began the enormous task of bringing it back to life.
Rather than tackling the entire property at once, they renovated gradually according to what they could afford.
Over the following decade, around £250,000 was spent on improvements.
Davies described the house as structurally sound but extremely tired when they arrived.
The previous occupants had been in their eighties, and much of the property had remained unchanged for years.
“We spent 10 years renovating the house as we only had a limited amount of cash to spend on it each year,” he said.
Their approach was deliberately restrained.
Instead of stripping away the Victorian character, the couple concentrated on improving the property’s practical features while retaining its original details.
Victorian Character Preserved
Original stained-glass windows, ceiling roses, coving and skirting boards have all survived the renovation.
At the same time, the couple replaced the kitchen and bathrooms, installed new guttering and damp-proofed one side of the house.
The property now has four bathrooms.
Davies said they wanted the work to remain sympathetic to the building’s history rather than turn it into a completely modern home.
Their finances dictated the pace, with roughly one room tackled each year.
The result is a property spanning more than 3,000 square feet, combining updated interiors with many of the features that reflect its 19th-century origins.
A Home Built for Family Life
The Elms also includes a self-contained flat, which has been used by one of the couple’s daughters.
The space has an especially long history: during the Victorian era, it served as servants’ accommodation.
Outside, the property has substantial gardens, countryside views, a koi pond and areas designed for entertaining.
For the Davies family, the house became much more than a renovation project.
Their two daughters, now aged 27 and 25, grew up there before moving into homes of their own with their partners.
The couple also hosted parties and social gatherings at the property, while their dogs enjoyed the extensive garden.
One unusual reminder of those occasions can be found beneath the dining-room table, where everyone who has dined there has signed their name.
From £750,000 Purchase to £1.5m Sale
After investing approximately £250,000 in the property, the Davies are now putting The Elms on the market for £1.5 million through White & Guard.
That represents a headline doubling of the original purchase price, although the family’s renovation spending means the increase in value is not the same as a £750,000 profit.
Still, the transformation marks a remarkable turnaround from the house Davies initially struggled to see the appeal in.
Why the Couple Are Moving On
After 12 years at The Elms, the couple believe it is time for a change.
With both daughters having left home, Davies says the five-bedroom property has become unnecessarily large for just two people.
“It seems like a bit of a waste to just have two people rattling round this large house,” he said.
They plan to find a smaller detached property in Britain while also looking for a villa in Spain, with a budget of around £400,000 for their overseas home.
Betting on Character in a Slow Market
The decision to sell comes against a housing market Davies describes as “stagnant”, leaving him understandably nervous about the property’s prospects.
Nevertheless, he believes The Elms will attract buyers who value space, history and entertaining potential rather than the ultra-modern style found in some newer properties.
He does not expect the house to appeal to buyers seeking sleek, glass-heavy contemporary homes.
Instead, he believes its combination of period features, generous living space and countryside surroundings will appeal particularly to people looking to leave London.
A Decade of Memories
For the Davies family, the sale represents the end of a significant chapter.
What began in 2014 as an uninspiring, dated Victorian house became a carefully restored family home over ten years of gradual work.
The Elms may now be worth £1.5 million, but its greatest value to the couple lies in the memories created there — from family life and celebrations to evenings spent entertaining friends in the house and garden.
Now, after a decade spent restoring the property, the Davies are ready to hand it over to a new owner and begin the next chapter of their lives in a smaller home, with Spain potentially becoming part of the plan.
