Renovation Column: Fate led us here but it's going to take hard work to stay

Before I delve into the chaos and calamities of living in a renovation I thought it best to start at the beginning and how we ended up here in the first place.

It certainly was a strange twist of fate that resulted in us living in the former house of the vicar who christened both our girls, on the same street we have lived for 11 years.

In fact, when we put our cottage up for sale we had our sights set on a Georgian dream house three villages away and even had an offer accepted before our sale fell through, that is.

We were reluctant to leave the village we had come to call home but felt it was the right move for the right house – it turns out the universe had other ideas.

In fact, when I look back on the strange coincidences and happy accidents that occurred along the way, it seems obvious that we were always destined to live here.

It started in our old cottage – next door to the church – and over the road from our new home. We had lived there for a few years and always chatted with the friendly local vicar, Rev. Graham. So, when our first daughter, Primrose, arrived, it seemed obvious that he would be the one to Christen her at the church next door.

Booking the christening was the first time I had stepped inside the vicarage, blissfully unaware that it would become our home eight years later.

A few years after the christening, Rev. Graham turned up at our house with some Primrose flowers he had found growing in the vicarage garden – just another hint from the universe about what was about to come.

Over the years the churchyard became our favourite view from the cottage, the best place to play hide and seek with Primrose and the most serene setting to enjoy some fresh air.

When our second daughter, Autumn, arrived five years later, Rev. Graham had already retired and moved out of the vicarage but kindly agreed to come back and Cristen her.

The years went by and children grow up as they tend to do, and we needed more space so reluctantly put our cottage up for sale. At this point the vicarage was for sale but way over our budget and needed FAR too much work, so we didn’t even consider it.

But after several price reductions at the vicarage the stars aligned and we finally booked a viewing. Somehow we were able to see past the four years of dust and dead spiders and saw the potential.

Queue a cheeky offer and narrowly avoiding being gazumped and here we are in the village we love, just yards from our old house and still close to the lovely church – it feels like it was meant to be.

Keep up to date with all the progress by following @ohgodweboughtavicarage on Instagram