They'd spent years scrimping and saving to afford their first house together. So when Andrew and Charlotte Symes finally managed to buy a two-bed terrace in Barry a couple of years ago they saw it as their chance to finally start a family.
However, their dream home recently turned into a nightmare when they decided to replace the shower in the bathroom - a move which unearthed a slow leak which had long gone undetected, causing damage to the floor beneath.
The problem, though, was far worse than they could ever have imagined.
Unbeknownst to them, the entire back end of the property was severely affected by dry rot and had been for some time, resulting in it being declared unsafe for human habitation due to the high risk of the first floor collapsing and the presence of toxic fungal spores.
As a result, the couple, who were expecting the arrival of baby girl Violet at the time, found themselves technically homeless. They only avoided having to be put up in emergency B&B accommodation thanks to Charlotte's sister, an NHS Covid nurse who temporarily vacated her own address so they could move in.
And, just when they thought things couldn't get any worse, they found themselves being told by their insurance company that they would only be entitled to 10% of the £26k payout needed to repair the damage. The problem had been deemed a longstanding one, thereby pre-dating the start of their cover.
"Me and Charlotte have been together for 14 years and, after having worked long hours in our busy retail jobs, we'd finally managed to get enough cash together to put down a deposit on our dream home., " said Andrew, a 31-year-old contact centre worker.
"It was a modest traditional terrace with a little garden, but we thought it would be our perfect haven, somewhere we could finally call our own. We got all new fittings and furnishings and were raring to go."
But all that was about to change.
"Last year, whilst doing up the bathroom, we took out the shower tray to make room for a bathtub and spotted that there'd been a slow leak which had caused the floor beneath to rot and decay," added Andrew.
"Then, after more extensive investigations, we discovered that the whole back end of the house was extensively infected with dry rot - an issue that hadn't been picked up by the survey we'd had done before buying it. Because of the way the walls and ceiling had been boarded over it had gone unnoticed for ages, meaning the bathroom floor was now at high risk of giving way. Plus there were all these dangerous spores about from all the fungus which had developed."
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Facing repair costs of £26k, the couple looked to their insurance company for help.
"Unfortunately, following a long and drawn out battle with them, we were told just before Christmas that they believed the problem predated our policy being taken out and that we wouldn't be covered. Consequently, our claim was denied and closed - instead we were offered a mere 10% of the actual amount needed.
"Shockingly, they even refused to pay any further accommodation costs. We're currently appealing that ruling, as well as trying to raise the money ourselves."
The couple also faced welcoming baby Violet into the world in an anonymous B&B somewhere until Charlotte's sister Evie volunteered to give up her own house - the University Hospital of Wales key worker saving the day by taking her own three-year-old daughter and electing to stay with her nearby mother, with whom she'd formed a lockdown bubble.
"We will be eternally grateful for the support she has given us by giving up her independence like that, " said Andrew. "She has allowed us the opportunity to live as a family unit with our new baby daughter at what is a very precious time."
Sadly though, the family's cats - Bruce and Layden - have had to be re-homed.
"Those beautiful creatures were lovely companions for my wife during her pregnancy in lockdown, whilst I worked full-time.
"We've had them a good number of years - it was a heartbreaking decision to make."
Andrew added that all he and Charlotte want to do now is move back into the home which had meant so much to them.
"Instead of enjoying the first year of our baby’s life, we are now faced with a long and stressful journey where we've no choice but to keep paying the mortgage on a place that is uninhabitable.
"All we dream of is to be back in our own house with our little girl."
WalesOnline has contacted Andrew and Charlotte's insurers for comment.
To visit the Symes family's GoFundMe page, click here.
