Steve Kisby totally revamped the property into a stunning family home over looking New Brighton beach
Steve Kisby and his wife Sally outside their stunning New Brighton home(Image: Steve Kisby)
A dad who turned up in Merseyside with nothing but a suitcase and a dream of turning a “death trap” house into a stunning family home is selling up and moving on to his “next challenge.” Steve Kisby and his wife, Sally, had never set foot in the North before buying their new seafront property six years ago – but uprooted their life to start anew on the Wallasey coast.
Steve, 67, and 53-year-old Sally’s journey began six years ago, when Steve’s sister moved to New Brighton from the south coast, where they had lived their whole lives. The couple had been to visit his sister and instantly fell in love with the area.
It just so happened, one day his sister had been walking along the promenade at the same time the for sale sign went up for their now home. She contacted him immediately and said it was in an awful state, but asked if he wanted her to view it on their behalf.
The dad, who has been a builder his entire life, couldn’t say no when he found out how cheap the property was and next thing he knew he was turning up in New Brighton with nothing but a suitcase ready to refurb his new family home.
Steve previously told the ECHO: “At first it was too dangerous for my family to move up here, so I lived here for eight months on my own, I was living in one room. It was so dangerous I was frightened to get into the bath because if you filled it up it would have gone through the floor. There was no shower, it was a death trap, the electrics were awful. There was nothing good about the house at this point except the view.
“Honestly, it was awful but, once you opened the door that overlooks the prom and stepped outside, and saw the 180-degree view – well, it was just sensational, and the view of Liverpool city is sensational. At the time it was a £50k house with a £200k view, and that is what sold us on it. It’s impossible to get anything like this anywhere else.”
Steve and Sally’s six year home refurb transformed this ‘death trap’ house(Image: Steve Kisby)
The previous owner of the home had been 93 when she sadly died and the house had been left empty for a year before Steve and Sally bought it in 2018. Steve says when he started work on the property all the fences were knocked down, all the floors were rotten, there were doors hanging off, there was no roof on the double garage, and there was up to 4ft of rubbish in the garage. He said it was “just awful. No room was liveable, the kitchen was falling apart.”
Over the last six years Steve has spent “thousands and thousands of hours” fixing up the home for him, his wife and three children to live in. He said: “It has been exhausting, but of course worth it. We now enjoy the most fabulous breakfasts, sunrises and sunsets over the promenade and of course we were featured on Channel 4 too.
The sitting room sums up the traditional feel of the home which was restored by Steve
“It’s pretty idyllic, and the area is quieter than most people would imagine. It’s so peaceful to live here, it feels like we have our own private beach just opposite us, where we take the dogs. There are three pubs you could throw a stone at too, it’s pretty nice. And, we have the added bonus of walking 1000m to the right and you can get on the ferry to the city, it costs us £3.60 to get there.”
Despite the hard work there has been a “little bit of a change” in the family’s plans. Steve said: “We didn’t intend to do any of this but when we moved up here six years ago for the house we had two boys and a girl living at home. But the boys have girlfriends from the south coast so it was always going to be tricky to get them to stay up here. They have gone already.
The house was a “total mess” when they bought it six years ago(Image: Steve Kisby)
“And now we have our lovely daughter who is going to university in Chichester and they have all gone so we feel like we’re too far away from them again. On the way back from taking my daughter back to university I decided to drive a different way home and came through the Cotswolds where we bumped into a house up for sale and it looked like my next challenge.
“It’s a detached old courthouse dating back to 1865. It used to be the courthouse for the village. Inside it’s now a commercial property but outside it’s a grade II listed building, so of course it’s right up my street to convert it back. I just find it intriguing.”
The renovated kitchen
He added: “We always thought we would have to downsize at some point, we don’t need six bedrooms anymore, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. We had the offer accepted on the courthouse and we have done more work on the property here, so it’s now up for sale and I suppose we’re in the luck of the gods.”
The dad says he is “devastated” to be leaving New Brighton. He told the ECHO: “It feels like we’re always on holiday when we’re here. We’re blessed with the lovely sunrise and sunset and ever changing view. It’s always been a delight to live here and it’s been a lovely experience.
The gorgeous sunset captured from Steve and Sally’s home(Image: Steve Kisby)
“The new Everton stadium is just finished opposite, it’s been lovely because we have watched it being built. At night it’s lit up and it’s such a lovely thing, they have been testing the sound system too and you can hear it from here. I’m looking at it now from my window, it will be amazing when it opens. It’s an amazing place to live. We have adored our journey here but we were always going to be up against this problem.
“I’m sad to leave the area, everyone has been so lovely and warm here. Everyone is hoping our journey continues here and we stay, it’s tinged with sadness but as one door shuts another opens. It’s time for me to have a new challenge.” The property is currently up for sale for offers over £550,000.
The ECHO’s Where I Live series explores one property from across the region each week, with its owner giving us an insight into what makes a house a home.