Every once in a while you come across a property that stops you in your tracks. Whether it is while you’re scrolling on Rightmove or out on a drive, there are some eye-catching homes you just can’t forget.
The same goes for Alaster Rigby and his wife, who were out walking in Saddleworth Moor one morning when they stumbled upon their dream home. But it wasn’t any ordinary house – it was a dilapidated and extremely isolated house which hadn’t been lived in for 60 years.
Despite its derelict state; the couple fell in love with it, sought to find its owner and then bought it. Fast forward almost a decade after a ‘no-expense-spared renovation’, it has now been transformed into a stunning ‘state of the art’ abode – which is now on the market for Ā£1.1 million.
READ MORE: ‘We spent 18 months creating a beautiful forever home – now we’re selling it’
Alaster, 62, from Saddleworth, spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we chat to a different homeowner who lives in the north west to hear about their home-buying and renovation journey, whilst taking a look inside their property.
“We went for a walk on Saddleworth Moor one day and we found it in a derelict state. We fell in love with it because of its remote location. It is possibly the most isolated house in the area. Itās like Wuthering Heights, but itās not quite as bleak as that. It was quite spectacular and dramatic,” Alaster told the Manchester Evening News.
“We werenāt necessarily looking to move houses at the time, but seeing it just sparked a desire to live there. We did some digging and found the owner who was the farmer. We spoke to him and he wasn’t selling it, but we asked to buy it.”
The couple bought Edge End Farm in Greenfield in December 2015, knowing they had a mountain of work on their hands. “The condition of it when we found it was quite remarkable, the pictures speak for themselves,” said Alaster, “It was built between 1822 and 1850. It was last lived in in 1957 so it had been empty for around 60 years.”
Set in the ‘middle of nowhere’ in a plot of around four acres, the house has no neighbours for miles and the nearest tarmac road is half a kilometre away.
“We knew it would be a leap of faith, but if you want to live somewhere spectacular like that, thatās what youāve got to do. Weād done big renovations and builds before so we knew what we were doing,” Alaster said.
As with most renovation projects – especially one as big as this – the couple had their challenges. “We had a lot of trouble with Oldham Council which was our biggest challenge, so it took us a while to get going,” said Alaster.
“But as soon as we started renovating, it was fairly straight forward. Whilst we were renovating we lived down in the village in Greenfield. I got tradesman in to do the work but I took some time off work to project manage the entire build.”
Work began by knocking down the old house and starting from scratch. “Basically what we did is we dismantled the old building, then rebuilt it using modern methods of insulation,” Alaster explained. “We wanted to make it look like an old house. How it looks now, youād think it was an old house, but it’s actually a state of the art new house.”
Alaster and his wife finally moved in in January 2019 after 18 months worth of work. Since then, the pair have lived completely off-grid with no mains utility services whatsoever.
“Everything works like a modern house but it has no mains electricity, gas or water and itās super cheap to run. We use solar panels so it costs around Ā£400 a year for our electricity when there is not enough sun, as the diesel generator has to charge the batteries which isnāt that often, from March to October it never comes on,” Alaster explained.
“Then our gas is around Ā£840 and our water is free from the local spring. It makes you just realise how much people are being stung as a nation.”
The couple’s rural property is surrounded by breathtaking scenery of rolling hills and reservoirs, which Alaster says he never tires of. “Itās so lovely living here, itās very peaceful. We have the sheep but itās very quiet and thereās no traffic,” he said.
“There are 360 degree views that surround the house, so you never tire of sitting on the bench at the top of the garden and taking in the scenery. There are a myriad of walks that you can take from here, Dovestone reservoir is nearby.”
Two months ago, Alaster and his wife decided to put their beloved home up for sale after wanting a change. “Weāre not in a big hurry to sell it so it doesnāt matter how long it takes. We just want something a bit cheaper down in the village so we can spend some of our hard earned money,” he said.
“Thereās been some interest but we know it is a very unique property. Weāll be extremely sad once we sell it and itās a big worry that we havenāt lived in a house for six years with traffic coming past. Itās going to be a bit of a wrench.”
The three-bed detached has a beautiful full-width kitchen, living and dining space that spans the ground floor. Upstairs are three generous bedrooms, with the master boasting a dressing room and a four-piece en-suite bathroom, whilst the second bedroom also has an en-suite shower room.
The listing with Ryder & Dutton reads: “Set in an enviable position underneath Pots & Pans, this beautiful family home has been lovingly and meticulously reconstructed in 2018 in a no-expense-spared renovation intended to create a home full of period charm.
“Personal viewing of this stunning home will reveal an abundance of charming character features mixed with contemporary fixtures and fittings. Edge End Farm is bursting with state of the art off grid technology resulting in a home that is exceptionally economical to run.”
You can view more of the property on the Ryder & Dutton listing.
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