A couple are raffling off their renovated farmhouse in the Welsh countryside for £5 a ticket.
David and Christine Jones spent the last year renovating their three-bedroom home before deciding to move closer to their family in Lincolnshire due to the coronavirus pandemic. After buying the quaint stone farmhouse outside the village of Rhoslan near Criccieth for £200,000 in 2019, the couple lived on site and spent more than 15 months painstakingly transforming it into their dream retirement home.
With its stunning ancient beams and location just a few moments drive from both the Llyn Peninsula and Snowdonia National Park, Cefn Isa Farmhouse is now worth £485,000.
Care home worker Christine, 63, said: “Wales is such a special place for us. David’s mother and father were born in south Wales and I went to school in Bala in the 1970s. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found Cefn Isa Farmhouse, and immediately fell in love with the beautiful and unique surroundings. We could see how it must have been at its best.
“None of us thought we would be living in anything like the current situation and because of it we have made the difficult decision to return to the Lincolnshire area where most of our family live, so we can be closer and support them better.”
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After being stripped down to its original features and rebuilt, the classic Welsh home dating from around 1811 opens into a stone-floor hallway with its signature beams overhead.
Both its kitchen and living room boast traditional wood burners, the latter sat in an impressive inglenook commanding the room.
As well as a downstairs bathroom, the ground floor is also home to a bespoke kitchen, complete with vaulted ceilings and skylights.
Its three bedrooms have kept their charm, looking out onto the Welsh countryside, including two with south-facing windows with an ocean view, alongside a modern bathroom with a waterfall shower. Outside, a stone patio provides the perfect space to take in the house's peaceful surroundings.
Instead of selling their home in the traditional way, Christine and David have decided to raffle off their home for £5 a ticket to raise money for The Children’s Society while still being left the same amount of money as market value.
It comes after their neighbours Ryan Mclean and Katherine Jablonowska also raffled off their stunning home last year - with a Manchester family buying the lucky ticket.
Back in 2018 Ryan and Katherine bought their home before renovating it with the intention of selling it off in a raffle, raising £66,000 in the process for the same charity.
While rare, house raffle competitions are legal if conducted correctly.
Military veteran David, 65, said: “We chose to sell the farmhouse through a competition because everybody wins. We’re able to get the full market value for our home, The Children’s Society gets money they need to help, and someone is going to get a wonderful home for free.
“We’ve supported The Children’s Society for a long time, and we thought what better way to help during the pandemic than raising money for the most vulnerable children.
“We sincerely hope that whoever wins, chooses to live here and enjoy it for how unique it is, and appreciate all the work that has been put into bringing it back to life.”
To help others follow in their footsteps, Ryan and Katherine have set up their own raffle management company, CwellynDream Raffle Management.
They are now working to reach their target of selling 130,000 tickets, which takes into account administration and legal expenses. If the target is met, the winner will be given the keys to the unfurnished farmhouse including taxes and conveyance fees up to £2,000.
If 130,000 tickets are not sold, the winner will receive a cash prize of up to £458,500. For more information, and to enter the raffle go to: www.cwellyndream.com
