How sisters became good neighbours

Victoria Ingham visits two Dales sisters whose 10-year plan to create their family homes in tandem is just coming to a conclusion.

The two sisters agree that where they live is “utterly idyllic” a beautiful and secluded spot by a babbling stream, surrounded by nothing but fields, fresh air, and those amazing views that only the Yorkshire Dales National Park can offer.

But then these two are bound to agree on that since they are part of a remarkable family project which paradoxically has both divided and united them.

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Lisa Bullough and Christina Birtley live separately and contentedly in what was their family home when they were growing up.

It all sounds a little too good to be true. Digging deeper into their story uncovers a tenacity of spirit and a firm belief in good old-fashioned family values. And it was these qualities, not just luck or good fortune, that enabled it all to happen.

Lisa and Christina’s parents bought the property in 1976. Being Dales people with a growing family, this large secluded detached house (as it was then) seemed the perfect “forever” home for them and so it proved to be.

But 26 years down the line, Lisa and Christina (along with their older siblings) had grown up and flown the family nest to build their own lives, Lisa as a nurse and Christina as a teacher.

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As many young people in the Dales have discovered, it is increasingly hard to make a life in the place where they have grown up. Retirees arriving from outside and second-homers have driven up property prices in the National Park and neither sister was able to do afford a home in Hebden, the village they considered home.

It was at this point that Lisa and Christina’s parents decided to do something now that the family home was too large for them. They explained it was time to sell and move to a smaller property within the village.

“Initially everyone was a little shocked and saddened by the news,” explains Lisa. “But we soon cheered up when we realised the opportunity that it presented.” Over a glass of wine a plan was agreed between the sisters and their husbands, Chris, a company director, and Gary, a web designer, to propose to buy the house and convert it into two semi-detached dwellings.

In one respect this meant bringing the story of the house full circle. The original buildings, dating from about 1800, on this site were two cottages called Beck Bottom Cottages. They were purchased in a derelict state in 1925 by the village shop keeper, who pulled them down and built in their place the house that Lisa and Christina’s parents bought in 1976.

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What was constructed – probably to minimise any potential damage from flooding from the nearby stream – was effectively a large first-floor flat with extensive cellars underneath.

Lisa and Christina’s parents altered the inside, opening up the ground floor and creating a large lounge, dining room, large kitchen, study etc and converting the whole of the first floor into five bedrooms and a large bathroom, to reflect the more modern way of living.

They also, of course, shored up the banks of the stream to prevent future flooding. The narrative explains one or two rather unusual about the latest layout, such as the “upstairs door”, which has the appearance of a small balcony, but was once the original front door. The ground floor also has slightly lower ceilings than one would expect.

So, in 2002 the house became the property of the sisters and their husbands and though the pace of change has been modest by TV makeover standards the results certainly aren’t. The once detached house with five bedrooms and two reception rooms, has become two semi- detached houses, each with five bedrooms and two reception rooms.

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The renovation and development of both properties has cleverly taken advantage of the land, mainly borders and pathways, available at the sides of the property and the large roof void. The net result is that both houses are now as large (if not larger) than the original house, with no discernible loss to the extensive gardens.

Frustratingly at times, National Park planning regulations kept the pace of development slow for the sisters and their families, but they insist that in the long run this has been no bad thing.

“The planning regulations do make the decision-making process more complex,” says Lisa.

“But we definitely think that you arrive at a better quality decision for the house and its setting as a result.

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“We have just about got there now and both houses are better than we ever imagined and a real source of pride.”

Their father worked on the house in the initial “splitting the building” stage. Their elder brother Michael, a master builder and craftsman, also got stuck into the long-term project.

“He loves the houses as much as we do,” says Lisa. “There is great trust and comfort in knowing every brick he lays, or every door frame he fits, will be done with as much care and attention as if he were doing it to his own home.”

Ten years of intermittent building work sounds like a recipe for frayed nerves and a fallout or two. How have they coped? “Before we bought the house together, that was the main thing we discussed,” explains Lisa.

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“We both value our privacy and although we are close friends we didn’t want to end up living in each other pockets, or get on each other’s nerves. So we established clear expectations about how it would work while we were living on a building site and also how we would lead our separate lives whilst living side by side.”

Practical things like putting up the fences and gates to clarify each house’s external boundaries helped with this considerably,” says Christina. “So that the children – and even the adults – could keep their mess in the right garden!”

The real excitement for Lisa and Christina about their renovated homes, isn’t the beautiful fixtures and fittings, or even the views. It’s the fact that their children are growing up exactly where they grew up.

“My son sleeps in my childhood bedroom – it is exactly the same as it was when I had it, except it was pink then, and now it is blue,” says Lisa.

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“Our children are even playing in the same dens that we created.” The fact that their children are being schooled locally and that they are enjoying the same quality of childhood with a freedom to explore (not always available for children these days), is a great source of satisfaction and delight.

“If they grow up with the same sense of history and belonging that we have; it will set them up for life,” says Lisa.

Watching the sisters’ children all playing together and feeding the chickens fluttering on the banks of the stream, no-one would question that their investment in time and effort has been worth it and that they have created something special for their families.

It looks a remarkably successful arrangement and a wonderful family prospect for the future.