Their ambitions for the house were grand. They refused to do "just another barn conversion" and they spent a lot of time researching the project and persuading planners. John said: "We fell in love with the place and I knew instantly it could be something special. We had been gypsies moving from house to house and wanted this to be the place where we settled."
But just two months into the build John slipped a disc in his back. He was bedridden for weeks but worse than losing his physical strength was the mental anguish he suffered by being unable to work on the family's dream home. "It should have been the job of a lifetime, a really special thing, but all we wanted was to see the end of it," he said.
While work to complete Torra Manor went on he and Susan were now planning a different future - in New Zealand. "When I was ill I realised what a workaholic I had become and what we were missing out on as a family. We had been threatening for years to go and a phone call with my solicitor, who has a passion for the place, was the spark we needed
"The girls are aged 10 and 11, a good age to move. We have done lots of research but want to tour round and take stock then decide exactly where we are going to settle and what we are going to do."
Despite deciding they would never live here, Torra Manor is just as grand as they had dreamed. No expense has been spared and the couple sourced items from all over the country: oak from lock gates for the handmade doors, a barn lintel for the fireplace, York stone, slate and more oak on the floors.
John said: "On one hand it is sad that what was the house of our dreams became just another project but on the other it is the start of a daunting and exciting adventure."
Torra Manor is for sale through Weale and Hitchen for £1.25m. 01204 886216
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