Every now and then you come across a home that stops you in your tracks. Whether you’re scrolling on Rightmove or out and about, there are some eye-catching houses that you simply shouldn’t forget.
The same goes for Alaster Rigby and his wife, who were walking in Saddleworth Moor one morning when they came across their dream home. But it was no ordinary house; it was a dilapidated and extremely isolated house that had not been lived in for sixty years.
Despite its abandoned state; the couple fell in love with it, sought to find its owner and then purchased it. Fast forward, almost ten years after a ‘cost-free renovation’, it has now been transformed into a stunning ‘state of the art’ residence – now on the market for £1.1 million.
READ MORE: ‘We spent 18 months creating a beautiful forever home – now we’re selling it’
Aaster, 62, from Saddleworth, spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we chat with a different homeowner living in the Northwest to hear about their homebuying and renovation journey, while taking a look inside their property.
“One day we went for a walk on Saddleworth Moor and we found it in a derelict state. We fell in love with it because of its remoteness. It is possibly the most isolated house in the area. It looks like Wuthering Heights, but it is not as somber as that. It was quite spectacular and dramatic,” Alaster said Manchester Evening News.
“We weren’t necessarily planning to move at the time, but when we saw it, it just created a desire to live there. We did some digging and found the owner, who was the farmer. We talked to him and he didn’t sell it, but we asked to buy it.”
The couple purchased Edge End Farm in Greenfield in December 2015, knowing they had a mountain of work to do. “The condition of it when we found it was quite remarkable. The pictures speak for themselves,” says Alaster. “It was built between 1822 and 1850. It was last occupied in 1957, so it had been vacant for about 60 years.”
The house is located in the middle of nowhere on a plot of about four hectares, has no neighbors for miles and the nearest asphalt road is half a kilometer away.
“We knew it would be a leap of faith, but if you want to live in such a spectacular place, you have to do it. We had done major renovations and conversions before, so we knew what we were doing,” says Alaster . said.
As with most renovation projects – especially one this large – the couple had their challenges. “We had a lot of issues with Oldham Council, which was our biggest challenge, so it took us a while to get going,” Alaster said.
“But once we started renovating, it was pretty easy. While we were renovating, we lived in the Village in Greenfield. I hired a professional to do the work, but I took some time off to do the whole build.” to manage. “
The work started by tearing down the old house and starting from scratch. “What we actually did is dismantle the old building and then rebuild it using modern insulation methods,” Alaster explains. “We wanted to make it look like an old house. The way it looks now, you would 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 of work. Since then, the pair have been living completely off-grid, without any electricity supply.
“Everything works like a modern house, but it has no electricity, gas or water and it’s super cheap to run. We use solar panels so it costs about £400 a year for our electricity if there’s not enough sun, as the diesel generator needs to charging the batteries, which is not that often, from March to October it never turns on,” Alaster explains.
“Then our gas costs about £840 and our water is free from the local source. It just makes you realize how much people are being stung as a nation.”
The couple’s rural estate is surrounded by breathtaking scenery of rolling hills and reservoirs, which Alaster says he can never tire of. “It’s so lovely to live here, it’s very peaceful. We have the sheep but it’s very quiet and there’s no traffic,” he said.
“There are 360 degree views all around the house so you never tire of sitting on the bench at the top of the garden and enjoying the scenery. There are numerous walks you can take from here, Dovestone Reservoir is close by.”
Two months ago, Alaster and his wife decided to put their beloved home up for sale after wanting a change. “We’re not in a big rush to sell it so it doesn’t matter how long it takes. We just want something cheaper in the village so we can spend some of our hard-earned money,” he said.
“There has been some interest but we know it is a very unique property. We will be extremely sad once we sell it and it is a major concern that we have not lived in a house for six years while there is a lot of traffic comes along. can be a bit of a wrench.”
The three-bed detached house has a beautiful full-width kitchen and living and dining room taking up the ground floor. Upstairs are three generous bedrooms, the master boasting a dressing room and a four-piece en-suite bathroom, while the second bedroom also has an en-suite shower room.
The advertisement at Ryder & Dutton reads: “This beautiful family home is in an enviable location below Pots & Pans and has been lovingly and thoughtfully reconstructed in 2018 in a cost-free renovation designed to create a home full of period charm.
“Personal viewing of this beautiful home will reveal an abundance of charming character features, mixed with modern fixtures and fittings. Edge End Farm is packed 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.