Couple who overspent £150,000 on dream renovation set up fundraiser in bid to finish it

A couple say they were left with no other choice but to set up a GoFundMe page after going £150,000 over budget on their dream home renovation.

Mary and Sean Davies have spent more than four years transforming a Second World War water tower into a seven-bedroom, four bathroom property. They bought more than an acre of land at the disused RAF Hospital Nocton Hall site for £25,000 in 2018 but the project has not been without its problems.

Mary, 57, and Sean, 55, took on the huge conversion of the 1940s water tower in Lincolnshire in 2021 and had an £350,000 budget but the money soon ran out. The couple, who have five children and five grandchildren, were forced to temporarily live in a caravan while the site was uninhabitable and the issues didn't stop there.

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After "unforeseen" renovation costs pushed them well over budget, they set up a GoFundMe page for support to finish the build, which they believe will now cost around £500,000. So far, just over £6,000 has been raised but they hope that the work will now be completed by the end of summer, with only the renovations on the top three floors of the five-storey tower going ahead.

Following Sean's diagnosis with motor neurone disease (MND) in March 2023, an incurable condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system, they are eager to finish the project so he can enjoy the fruits of their labour before his condition worsens, the ManchesterEveningNews report.

"The sooner it's all finished, the sooner we can enjoy it," Mary told PA Real Life. "Sean's diagnosis made us even more determined to get the project completed. For him to be able to experience what we have created here in its fullest and reach the top of the tower, he needs to be mobile. He's mobile now, but we don't know how long for."

Having previously lived in council properties, the couple were drawn to the RAF site by the abundance of space and privacy it offered, with more than an acre of land included in the sale. "When we arrive home, we go through the big military gates on the site and drive past all the derelict buildings," Sean said.

"There's no street lighting, no public access, no neighbours – we're driving through history just to reach our home. When the site finally gets developed, the tower is very likely going to be the only bit which remains." Mary went on: "It's been part of the landscape for the locals since the 40s, it would have been a shame for that to have disappeared.

"We're custodians to the water tower, I don't feel like we own it really and, one day, it will be passed onto someone else in the future when we've finished enjoying it." With strong connections to the site, Mary's father worked as a civilian electrician at the hospital and her significant other, Sean, was a patient there at the tender age of seven.

Sean said they realised "it would be a fantastic build" if they decided to convert the tower, leading to their efforts to transform the 15m-tall structure into a seven-bedroom, four-bathroom residence. While the main living spaces including the kitchen, lounge, office, gym, utility room, and a toilet are nestled in a modern glass extension, the bedrooms and bathrooms find their place within the tower itself.

Mary explained the creation of the glass addition saying: "It was the only way we could get planning permission so it was a little more costly with the glass and the timber frame, but at the end of it we're going to have a seven-bedroom property,". The renovation journey saw Mary and Sean living in a caravan on-site during a brief stint while the water tower was being transformed.

They also had to install their own utilities in the once uninhabited space, such as sewage treatment, filtration for drinking water and a heating tank. The tower itself is "not a huge space" width-wise, Mary said, but thanks to its height it has the potential for five floors, with two currently functioning as bedrooms and a bathroom, leaving three left to complete.

"We're experiencing now what it's like to sleep in the tower," Mary revealed. "It's the perfect place for a restful sleep, it's absolutely brilliant, and it's a miracle we've been able to do this." To complete the renovation fully, the couple need to finish the tower’s conversion, fit a sprinkler system, and round off any plastering, painting and decorating.

After Sean was diagnosed with MND in March 2023 during the renovations, they are keen to finish the conversion by summer's end for him to "enjoy" their efforts before his condition deteriorates. Sean shared his experience with an experimental treatment drug called Tofersen, which he credits with helping manage his symptoms, such as weakness and muscle reduction, for around a year.

Facing unexpected costs that stretched their budget, the couple set up a GoFundMe page, estimating the total spend on the conversion at about £500,000. "We're really grateful to everyone who has donated," expressed Mary, acknowledging the support they received.

"You don't set up a GoFundMe page without a lot of thought and we're just trying to relieve some of the stress on us. Once you start a project like this, you've got to finish it – you can't afford to not finish it because then you've got nothing."