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Couple who bought derelict mansion by mistake now taking holiday bookings after makeover

After a bizarre mix-up left with them with a 120-year-old derelict mansion, Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren spent four hard years bringing the property back to life as a holiday villa – and are now accepting guests

A couple who bought a 120-year-old derelict mansion by accident have now started to take holiday bookings after they gave it a dramatic makeover.

Cal Hunter, 26, from Hull and Claire Segeren, from Toronto, were hoping to lay their hands on a cut-price city centre flat in Glasgow for £30,000 – but ended up getting something quite different after a lot numbers mix-up four years ago. After Cal accidentally bid on the wrong unit, they were instead given Jameswood Villa – an uninhabitable property in the coastal town of Dunoon, West Scotland. The couple then decided they would take it on as a sustainable project and ignored expert advice to demolish the house, despite having just £10,000 in the bank and no experience with renovation work.

They decided to live in a caravan in the grounds while they undertook the first challenges, which included clearing the huge amounts of debris in the building and making the structure secure by raising the roof. In July, the couple confirmed their house had finally been signed off by inspectors – ending four years of hard work, reports the Daily Record.

Cal and Claire have now started the next stage of their journey by opening it up as quiet villa resort – and have spoken of their excitement as they finally begin accepting guests. In a post on their Instagram page ‘whathavewedunoon’, Claire said: “We’re open for business! Visit jameswoodvilla.co.uk to book a stay. This is what Cal and I have been working towards for years. We can’t thank you all enough for your support throughout our journey. Jameswood would be nowhere near as special a space, had it not been for you joining us on our adventure.

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