What I Own: We renovated our £590,000 Tooting three-bed but it’s getting too small for our family

Welcome back to What I Own – Metro’s property series where we speak to homeowners about getting on the ladder.

For last week’s sister column, What I Rent, we visited 2022 Great British Bake Off finalist Sandro Farmhouse’s flat in Stratford, East London, which has more ovens than bedrooms.

This week, we’re in Tooting, South London, having a nosy around Anna and Paul Moynihan’s £590,000 three-bedroom home. Since buying it five years ago, they’ve transformed it into a family space to share with their two young children – and have found a strong local community in the process.

Here’s what Anna had to say about their property journey…

Tell us about yourself!

I’m Anna Moynihan, and together with my husband Paul, I’m a co-founder of TaskHer, an online platform that connects homeowners with tradeswomen in a few clicks.

The idea for it came to me while organising renovation work at our house. Every time I booked a tradesperson for a job or a quote, I found that they would instinctively speak to my husband Paul about what needed to be done, despite the fact that I had made the booking! This gender bias led us to realise how underrepresented women are in the trades – which are 96% male in the UK.

Whereabouts is your property? What do you think of the area?     

We are based in Tooting, South West London. We love the local area – it’s diverse and friendly. We have a strong network of friends and also work in a co-working space about ten minutes from our house.

There’s loads of amazing food in Tooting too, and with a strong Sri Lankan and Pakistani population, we are lucky to have some of the best South Asian food in London. 

When did you move in? 

We moved in early 2019.

How much did your property cost?

We bought the property in 2019 for £590,000. Now, according to Zoopla, it’s worth somewhere around £700,000.

How much was your deposit?

We paid around £120,000.

What is the monthly cost of living here now, both mortgage and bills?

Our mortgage and bills come to about £2,100 a month. 

How did you save up for your deposit?

I had a flat which I sold, and Paul had a house that he sold.

What was the process of getting a mortgage like for you? Did you find any parts challenging?

We used a great mortgage advisor who was able to find us a really good deal. I’m a bit older than Paul so I dragged down how many years our mortgage could be, but on the whole, it was pretty smooth sailing.

Can you share details on your mortgage (rate/term)? 

We made a very good decision without realising it when we locked into a mortgage rate of 1.44% for five years back in 2021. We were thinking about starting TaskHer and wanted to make sure we had a hold of what our spending would look like and it really paid off.

Where did you live before this – were you renting or living with family?

I owned a flat with my ex in Tottenham, North London, which we bought with a deposit given to me by my grandmother in her inheritance. Paul was living in Reading alone in his family home that he owned outright.

What made you want to buy rather than rent?

The stability of knowing it’s yours for the long haul if you want it, and the fact that I was pregnant with our first child when we moved in! We were in an incredibly fortunate situation as we had the money for a deposit, so we decided to use it as wisely as we could.

How did you find this property? What made you choose it?

We found it on Rightmove, although it was also advertised with Purplebricks. The owners showed us around and we dealt directly with them throughout the purchase process, which was amazing and made things so much easier than having to go through an agent and wait for replies.

We really liked the feel of the house, the period features, the fairly decent-sized garden and the fact we knew we could make some improvements. The location worked really well for us at the time work-wise, and it was close to a tube, an overland station and loads of restaurants and coffee shops.

How have you made the property feel like home? What’s the inspiration for your interior decor style?

We’ve put in a new kitchen and bathroom which has modernised things – I think the kitchen was originally from the 90s and didn’t have a dishwasher. We put in carpet upstairs where there was laminate to make it feel more homely, and have painted every room.

I love Scandinavian styles mixed with bold colours and prints, but it’s important that you can actually live in the space, especially with two young kids.

What’s your favourite room and why?

Probably the living room. It was one of the first rooms we tackled and I spent a lot of time in it during Covid with a tiny baby!

It’s naturally quite dark in there as it doesn’t get much light in the day, so we painted the walls, doors and woodwork a deep blue and fully embraced it. I love it at Christmas time when we decorate the fireplace with a wreath – it’s really cosy.

Do you feel like you have enough space?

Not for much longer! We have two small kids who are getting bigger and taking up more space. Our third bedroom is pretty small and works well for a nursery but not for an older child. We make it work, and for London, we are still very fortunate with the space we have.

Do you have plans to change the property?

We actually drew up plans and got planning permission to add a rear extension and loft conversion, but then didn’t go through with it as the cost implications ended up being so huge.

With the rise in trade materials, we worked out we would probably go over the ceiling price in our area meaning if we did sell we wouldn’t make our money back, and the plan has always been to move when the kids get bigger.

Are there any problems with the property that you have to deal with?

The house is 120 years old, so there’s been a few things. We have the original sash windows which are beautiful but not great in the winter when it comes to fuel economy.

What do you want people to know about buying a home?

That it’s lovely to have, but if you’re renting you’re not failing in any way. I know people who’ve rented long-term and have really benefitted and enjoyed the flexibility. Also, even if you’re not getting a survey done, make sure you always get an up-to-date gas and electrical safety certificate from the previous owner.

What are your plans for the future, in terms of housing? Do you plan to stay here long-term?

Our daughter is starting school locally in September so we will be in Tooting for a while yet I’d imagine. As startup founders, we aren’t currently in the financial position to upsize our house, but it will come. Eventually, we’d love to have some more space!

Shall we take a look around?

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

MORE : Banksy expert says London artworks are ‘a real-life Pokémon game’

MORE : Ulez scrappage scheme end date revealed after £16m paid out to motorists

MORE : How to skip the queues after Taylor Swift’s Eras concerts at Wembley

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.