WHEN Anne-Marie and David Connolly wanted to sell their 1930s bungalow they faced a battle against a struggling housing market.

But when the idea of taking part in their estate agent’s house swap scheme was presented they found it to be the perfect solution.

Anne-Marie, 39, said: “We were living in a bungalow in Netherton and needed somewhere a bit bigger for our family, but we started looking when the housing market was very low.

“Then we found out about a house swap scheme our estate agent was offering and went for it.

“We quickly found a couple to swap with. They wanted to downsize, we needed an extra bedroom and our house had lovely views of Castle Hill which was exactly what they were looking for.

“It was the perfect solution and worked out brilliantly for us.”

The house the Connolly’s swapped their home for was nestled in a quiet estate at Meadowcroft in Honley.

The couple knew the village well.

Their eldest daughter Emma, 14, attended Honley High School and they felt it was the perfect location to base their family.

The couple also have a 12-year-old daughter, Katie.

Anne-Marie added: “We wanted something that was going to be easy for the children to get to school and we did really love the feel of the village.

“The location of the house on a small, friendly estate, was perfect and had a much younger feel to it.

“Being a modern home it was very different from the 1930s bungalow we had been living in, but we liked the idea of having a change.”

The detached house was great from the outset, but needed some work to bring the interior up to scratch.

But Anne-Marie, a sales manager for a pharmaceutical company, said her family was more than ready for the challenge.

She said: “Coming from an old house to this one was a big change and we liked the idea of the convenience of having a back garden all done and landscaped.

“But we did do quite a bit of work to the house. It was 11 years old and at that stage where it felt like it needed to be updated and refreshed.”

The couple felt that the space of their new four-bedroom home wasn’t being used to its full potential.

A darkly designed kitchen and tiny dining space were some of the features that made the house feel drained of light.

The Connollys came up with a solution to create more of an open plan feel downstairs and flood the place with light.

Glasgow-born Anne-Marie added: “The dining room was really small – you could just about get a table and chairs in there and the couple who lived in the house before us spent no time in there.

“So one of the first things we did was knock down the wall between it and the lounge to make it open plan.

“Doing this made such a huge difference to the house.

“It’s a lovely, sociable space. The windows create a wall of light through to the doors leading out to the garden.”

The rooms were given a style overhaul, including the contemporary cream kitchen which replaced the uninviting dark pine kitchen which was there before.

The walls were painted in pale gold to create a warm feel and the rooms were dressed with stylish furnishings and accessories to complete the look.

Anne-Marie said: “We’ve got some beautiful pieces that we’ve come back laden with in the car from visits to Glasgow, including a chaise longue and a console table for the lounge which has a lovely square Rennie Mackintosh design.

“I think we’ve created a look that really suits the house.

“My favourite room has got to be the lounge diner. It’s such a nice place to sit and work and spend time with the family and has become the hub of the house.”

The family have decided to sell their home because they are looking for yet another style of house – possibly a barn conversion – to be their long-term family home.

Anne-Marie added: “We saw this house as the ideal home for our family and enjoyed doing all the work to it.

“It’s a very relaxed home and it’s been great being able to get up in the morning knowing there’s nothing that needs doing.”