What I Own: We bought our Yorkshire home for £73,000 — now it’s worth five times as much

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

Joanne Hardcastle has always had an eye for bold colours and vintage pieces — so when she moved into her four-bedroom, four-storey home in Batley, West Yorkshire, she had a vision.

Since buying the Edwardian property in 2000, the interior designer has transformed her home, doing much of the hard work herself — or roping in her husband, Tim.

Now, she documents her interior projects on Instagram – and her efforts got her noticed by the team behind the BBC’s Interior Design Masters.

After being rejected for her original application, Joanne landed a spot on series four — and still considers her fellow Masters her pals, two years on.

Here’s what Joanne had to say about her property journey…

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Joanne, I’m 54, and I’m Yorkshire born and bred. I’m married to my husband, Tim, and I’m a mum to three grown-up girls and three cats.

I appeared on series four of the BBC’s Interior Design Masters. Like so many interior content creators, the team sent me a DM and asked me to apply. I got right up to the final selection, and then I was rejected by the BBC and told to come back next year. I was very reluctant to do so, but the production caster was very persuasive! 

I’m so grateful that I finally did the show. It taught me I’m so much more than just a mum, and that it’s time to put myself first now.

The best thing about the show was the wonderful friends that I made, who were all so supportive, and I’ve learnt so much from them all. We’re still really close and meet up all the time.

What kind of property do you own, and how long have you been there?  

I live in a four-story, four-bedroom end terrace Edwardian house. We moved here in February 2000. 

How much do you pay to live here?

We bought it for £73,000 and have borrowed a further £30,000 to extend 10 years ago, and spent £60,000 to renovate the basement three years ago. We paid our mortgage off last January.

We bought our first house in 1992 for £37,000 with a £2,000 deposit. I worked for an insurance company and had to wait until I was 21 before I could get a staff mortgage. We moved to this house seven years later and sold that one for £45,000 using the equity as a deposit.

And what do you get for what you pay? 

Four bedrooms, two reception rooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, snug and utility/office. We have a very small garden to the front and rear. 

Do you feel like you have a good deal?

We got it for a good price, and it has increased considerably in value. It’s hard to price it because it’s such an unusual property, but from my experience with property and interiors, I think it’s now worth between £300,000 and £350,000. Before we paid off the mortgage, we were paying around £900 per month towards it.

What do you love to do in your house? 

It’s the perfect family home with lots of space to entertain guests. I work from home and love spending time there. 

Where is your home based? What do you think of the area? 

Upper Batley, West Yorkshire. I love the rural aspect of where we are, but I feel that the local town is run down, with not very many local amenities. 

However, I love the countryside I’m surrounded by; I’ve cows at the back and horses at the front and can see green as far as I can see out of all the windows. 

How did you find this property?

We had a little cottage, and when we put it on the market, a lady came to view it. I knew her son, and where she lived, and asked if we could view her property; we fell in love instantly. 

What made you want to buy rather than rent?

I think it was quite normal to buy a house back in the 90s; it was so much easier.

I really worry for my daughters about getting onto the housing ladder, one of them lives in London, and the cost of houses there is so expensive.

How have you made this place feel like home? 

It was so run-down and in a terrible state of repair. We’ve slowly renovated it as and when funds have allowed.

We’ve replaced the windows with reproduction double-glazed windows and restored all the fireplaces and plasterwork. In terms of interiors, I love bold colours and textures, and I collect vintage pieces too.

Do you feel like you have enough space? 

I love the space, the high ceilings and large rooms, but I’d love a bigger garden.

What would you like to have but don’t with this house?

I’d love it to be in a nicer area in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside.

Is this your favourite home you’ve ever lived in?

I adore this house; it feels like home, and we have so many memories here. I love that it’s the family base and that my girls have a safe place that’s always here and they can come back to.

I think it’s made them confident to go and take adventures and move away. I can’t wait until it’s full of little grandchildren running around.

Are there any problems with the home you have to deal with? 

Our neighbours have access across our garden, and this can be annoying when we’re enjoying time outside in the summertime. 

What are your biggest property non-negotiables when looking?

My biggest property non-negotiables are for it to be a period property and to be surrounded by countryside. 

What do you want people to know about buying a home?

This house was in a really bad state when we bought it, but it’s all we could afford in the area we wanted to live in.

We didn’t expect our renovation to happen overnight. I think if you’ve got your heart set on doing something a certain way, it’s better to save up to do it rather than to make a compromise because you’ll only end up doing it the right way in the end. 

Don’t follow the latest fashions; go with what your heart loves.

Do you have plans to move again anytime soon?

Our children are older now, and the next move will be to downsize, so yes.

Shall we take a look around?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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