I bought a derelict Victorian mansion for £300,000. Here's how I turned it into a 'party house' worth nearly £1million

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

A retired couple have revealed how they transformed their once 'derelict' 140-year-old mansion into a 'party house' now worth £1 million.
Joanne Shiels, 60, and her partner Geoff Bell, 61, bought the crumbling Greystonedale Mansion in Haltwhistle, Northumberland, for £300,000 in May 2022.
They spent two-years working tirelessly to renovate the eight-bedroom property, spending £220,000 plastering over holes in the roof, replanting the overgrown garden and even installing a 'disco kitchen'.
Their incredible restoration efforts, which took two years to complete, were featured on an episode of Channel 4 's Renovation Nation in July 2024.
They have turned have now turned it into a popular and highly lucrative 'party house' on Airbnb, and believe the home is now worth £850,000.
Joanne, from Witleybey, near Newcastle, explained that the mansion had been left empty for 30-years before they took a punt on it and that nearly 'everything' had needed replacing it.
The DIY duo bought the property after she 'fell in love' on their first visit describing it as a 'doll's house'.
Now built to comfortably host up to 14 guests, the Victorian mansion was barely inhabitable when the two first moved in.
There's also a games room, and one acre private garden.
'I absolutely love garden - I'm super proud of that as when we bought the property there was only one tree left with no plants no grass,' Joanne, a former social worker, said.
She explained that she and Geoff had spent the first part of their time sleeping in what was once the servants quarters - since much of the house was crumbling to pieces.
It had 'no electricity, gas, or windows' and there were several holes in the roof that needed 'patching up'.
'We had to replace or upgrade pretty much everything,' she explained.
'We replaced ceilings and added fancy plaster work added two bathrooms.
'There was a lot of work to be done - it was worth it though.'
'For months we slept in servants quarters as when I was in the house I kept expecting someone to tap me on shoulder and ask me to leave.'
Describing the restoration process Joanne said: 'I'm a recycler - everything in the house is second hand - my kitchens, bathrooms, as much as it can be, even the plants in the garden are second hand.'
'When we put the house back together, celebrations were front of mind.'
The house also boasts a pool table, dartboards, an oak panel study.
The house is built on the fortunes of a varnish works that still stands behind as a derelict factory.
The builder, Frank Smith, a 'forefather of the town's Hadrian Paintworks' is said to have died from the effects of making varnish just nine months after the home was built.
The project, which featured on Channel 4's Renovation Nation, took two-years with works having first begun in May 2022.
During the most significant periods of renovation, the pair lived together in a caravan onsite.
The house had been abandoned for 30-years by the time the couple purchased it (pictured before restoration)
Joanne, from Witleybey, near Newcastle, Tyneside, explained that the mansion had been left empty for 30-years before they took a punt on it and that nearly 'everything' had needed replacing it
Since they moved out, the couple has built a small cottage in the back of the property where they live
Initially intended to be the couple's 'forever home', they soon discovered that the mansion was too big for just two people and decided to turn it into an Airbnb
The process wasn't always smooth sailing and during restorations, the two were faced with having to take care of Geoff's dad, who was sadly diagnosed with cancer.
Initially intended to be the couple's 'forever home', they soon discovered that the mansion was too big for just two people and decided to turn it into an Airbnb.
They lived their for a year before deciding to list it on Airbnb.
Joanne said: 'We absolutely love having our family over but it was just a little bit too big.
'When you turned the heating on it was like switching on a jet engine.'
Since they moved out, the couple has built a small cottage in the back of the property where they live.
But they are now 'delighted' with the results and have built a lucrative business renting the house to celebrators.
The mansion, which first opened to guests in September, has become increasingly popular for hen and stag parties, family celebrations.
'Business was slow to start, but it has gone a bit crazy in the last few months,' she said.
'It's mostly booked for the summer, up until Christmas really, we've got big plans for the outside and will be adding small things bit by bit,' she said.
Joanne is even now considering also hosting weddings at the property.