The pensioner who pumped £100,000 into Britain’s “most disgusting home” says it’s now “unrecognisable”. Sara Haigh, 65, bought the rubbish-filled Plymouth house for £145,000 in an auction in 2021 after only viewing it for 15 minutes.
When she moved in, ivy and weeds covered the grey pebbledash of the three-bedroom home, making it stand out from the neat homes in the rest of the neighbourhood. But this was nothing on the horrors inside. Her partner, Paul Brown, 70, said: “As we waded through the overgrown plant life, it was clear an enormous amount of work and investment was needed. But once we got inside, the scale of the work needed was truly shocking.” The kitchen counters were stacked with pizza boxes and food wrappers, and the floors were carpeted with hundreds of plastic milk bottles and tins. The walls were caked in grime and mould, a ceiling had collapsed, and rodents had moved in.
Sara added: “Oh my God, there were thousands of bottles of cider filled with urine as well as syringes.” And yet, after renovating her own home over two decades and itching for a new project, Sara’s instinct was “this could be the one”.
“The first thing I needed to do was the roof, because there was ivy growing from the inside of it. So, that all had to be stripped off. The roof has left lots of debris, which includes the tiles and the felt, so it all had to come off again.
“The house was like a jungle because the garden was so overgrown, the weeds must have been probably 12 feet high in the back garden. While we tried to do as much as possible within our abilities, it was clear we needed help from tradesmen.”
The property is now back on the market with Purplebricks for £300,000, which would see Sara and her partner make a £55,000 profit if the asking price is met.
“Now, after over three years, we have a unique house that would be ideal for a family. All the fundamental services have been completely replaced with new plumbing, electrics and gas central heating.
“The kitchen is complete. There is a family bathroom, an en-suite shower room in the master bedroom, as well as a downstairs toilet.
“The three bedrooms are of a good size, and the connected lounge and dining rooms are very spacious. What was once described by a neighbour as a jungle, the outside space includes a large grassed area as well as an equally large patio.”
“I’m proud of all of it, to be honest, it does look amazing compared to what it was like, but in particular, the garden looks great, especially compared to how we found it.”
