May - October 2009: In the beginning there was mould...

This is what the original house looked like when we started. The wife found the plot in May 2009 and we finally completed the purchase on 8th October 2009 - on the outside the house looked OK, but inside it was a mouldy old ruin, with rotten floor-boards, mould growing over all walls, ceilings & surfaces, a broken window or 2, and general neglect throughout. You could hardly breath the air inside for fear of contracting something nasty.