Bernadette owns a five-bedroom house in Coggeshall, Essex (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

In our weekly series What I Own, we’re taking you inside the properties people have chosen to buy instead of rent.

Why? Because while home ownership is held up as a goal, it’s often shrouded in mystery.

How on earth do people afford the deposit? How do you get a mortgage? How do you choose where to live?

We’re hoping to answer all these questions and more by showing you the nitty-gritty of people’s owned properties.


Last week we were with 28-year-old Natel, who owns a one-bedroom flat in Dagenham.

This time we’re nosing around the five-bedroom house of Bernadette, 45.



Bernadette is married with three children and Freddy the Sprocker Spaniel. She’s a wedding business consultant and works from home, working as the CEO for the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners and offering consultancy services through her website.

Bernadette has lived in a five-bedroom house in Coggeshall, Essex, for the last three years.

Bernadette runs two businesses from home, so a nice home office was essential (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Let’s talk money. How much was this home? How much did you need for the deposit?

We moved into our current home in September 2016 which ironically is just four doors up from our previous home, which we still own. Instead of selling we decided to get a Let to Buy mortgage instead. This released equity which was used as a deposit on this home

We purchased this home for £400,000.

And how much do you now pay per month?

We pay approximately £2,000 for our mortgage and main bills like insurance, utilities. I have not included our bills for our rental property as not appropriate when I have tenants in there.

What do you have for what you pay?

Five bedrooms, a double size garage which we have outfitted as a gym and storage space, an office, games room, kitchen, living room, dining room but just one bathroom! No downstairs toilet and sadly no ensuite.

The house is home to three kids, Bernadette, her husband, and Freddy the Sprocker Spaniel (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

What made you choose this house?

With three children including two teenage boys, our three-bedroom house was becoming too small. We felt the boys needed their own space.

We started looking for four-bedroom properties in Coggeshall but they are far and few between. We viewed some but felt we gained an extra bedroom but the living space felt smaller, and in many cases it didn’t have an office, which was essential as I run two businesses from home.

All of a sudden a five-bedroom house on our street was reduced in price. Originally I dismissed it as I had my heart set on a ‘pretty house’. But I couldn’t deny the space we were gaining was immense.

Not only is the living space larger, the garden was double the siz , it had a much-needed games room and a double garage. The only thing it didn’t have – and still doesn’t (yet) is an ensuite and downstairs toilet.

What was interesting is the family we bought from moved into our old home on a short term rental contract. So on the day of the move we were both walking up and down the street with our belongings. Literally swapping contents between the two houses!

The family owns another property that they rent out (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

What was the process of getting a mortgage like?



Getting a mortgage when one of you is self-employed is always a tricky situation but our financial advisor was managing both mortgages, for the now-rental property and the house we bought and live in. Thank goodness we had him as at times the mortgage companies were asking for documentation that was simply not applicable!

Why Coggeshall?

We have lived here since marrying in 2001. My husband’s family are nearby, when originally looking for a home we just tried all villages along the commuter route.

How have you made the house feel like home?

We have done a lot since moving in but still lots to do. We needed to rewire the extension part of the house, it was so dangerous our electrician was astounded an accident hadn’t occurred. The kitchen was so dark and had a noticeable slope. So we got a new kitchen and new flooring reducing the slope.

Every time I walked in the door the hallway depressed me, the floor had been ripped up leaving broken tiles, the stairs were in a dirty green carpet, wood chip and dark mahogany rails. I don’t think my husband really noticed! I now love our hallway.

They’ve spent around £20,000 making the house feel like home (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

My office was another depressing room, with stripped vinyl wallpaper, wood chip, mahogany shelves and that green carpet. I remember sitting here trying to work but ended up getting the steamer out to remove more wood chip.

My office now makes me so happy and is the perfect space for creativity. There is still so much to do but slowly we are getting from room to room.


We have spent around £20,000 so far on the kitchen, new flooring, electrics, and decorating.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

We definitely have enough space for our family and for entertaining. We often entertain in the summer.

And what are your housing plans for the future?

We will be here for a long time – we’ve spoken about ways to build annexes for children or parents should we need to! No plans to move for many many years.

Shall we have a look around?

Welcome to Bernadette’s house (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Oh hey, Freddy (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

The living room and dining area (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

You’ll spot a lot of family photos (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

A cute original fireplace (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Freddy is a very important member of the household (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Looks cosy, right? (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

The kitchen (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Some good rules, really (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

This is Bernadette’s office (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

We like the lime green (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Upstairs we go (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

There are five bedrooms in total. As you can guess, this is Lena’s. (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

(Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

The family used to live in a three-bed property (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Here’s the games room (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Imagine having a room just for playing (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Quite the collection (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Finally, the bathroom (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

Colourful towels (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

There’s just one bathroom between five people (Picture: John Ferguson/Metro.co.uk)

How to get involved in What I Own What I Own is a Metro.co.uk series that takes you inside people's properties, to take an honest look at what it's like to buy a home in the UK. If you own your home and would be up for sharing your story, please email whatirent@metro.co.uk. You'll need to have pictures taken of your kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, plus a few photos of you in your room. Make sure you get permission for your housemates! You'll also need to be okay with sharing how much you've paid to live there and how you afforded the deposit, as that's pretty important. If you're renting, you can take part too! What I Own runs alongside What I Rent, which is the same series but all about renting. Again, if you'd like to get involved just email whatirent@metro.co.uk.

MORE: What I Own: Lauren, the 32-year-old manager who paid a £24,000 deposit to buy her one-bedroom flat in Sydenham

MORE: What I Own: Vanessa, the 29-year-old photographer who paid a £5,100 deposit on a house in Belfast

MORE: What I Own: Jade, a 26-year-old blogger who saved a £27,000 deposit for a two-bedroom flat in Harlow

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