Our House: Home is a real pick-me-up for Geoff and Nuala Milner!

Feb 23 2010 by Emma Davison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Our House: Home is a real pick-me-up!

Geoff says: “We wanted more space and we’ve definitely got that – we’ve got our own east wing, south wing and north wing!

“At the front the house looks like it has four storeys. It can look like separate houses from the roadside, but I think they’ve come together very well.

“It’s a very quirky house with the different floors and three lots of stairs, but we loved it that way.

“There’s a lot of space, but rooms like the sitting room feel lovely and cosy. I love the fact that you can just sit and look at these lovely views down Grimescar Valley all the way to Kirkheaton.”

It took a long time for the couple to perfect their home, not helped by the fact that Geoff was trying to build up a different kind of empire elsewhere.

Geoff had been working as an engineer for 36 years when he decided he wanted his career to take a new direction.

He found himself in his early-50s and struggling to find work when he spotted a newspaper advert for new coffee distributors.

Geoff retrained, travelling to Southern Italy to find the best espresso beans, and set up Garraway’s coffee company in Marsh.

But he found juggling work life with building his family home quite a challenge.

He says: “The opportunity of creating this great home for us was too good to miss, but I was trying to build my coffee business up at the same time.

“This wasn’t easy. I had long working days and would sometimes go out on deliveries at night, so I had to fit work on the house in when I could.”

But the hard work paid off and the couple how been living in their one-of-a-kind home for over 30 years.

They have now decided to put in on the market as they are looking for somewhere a bit smaller.

Geoff says: “I think my wife doesn’t want to leave because she likes being able to lose me for days in the house!

“It’s been a lovely, peaceful home and we will miss the fact that we’ve done so much to make it our own.”

Burn Road, Birchencliffe

Price £285,000.

An unusual stone-built detached house.

Flexible accommodation arranged over three floors with four bedrooms.

Overlooking established gardens and bordering open fields.

Burn Road, Birchencliffe, is on the market with Simon Blyth estate agents. Call 01484 651878.