Although it was a financial stretch, Ben has no regrets about buying his rundown 1920s house, located a few minutes’ walk from Roker beach. ‘I was living in small terraced house in Sunderland before,’ he says. ‘It’s a coastal city but I wasn’t anywhere near the coast. I used to take the dog to the sea as a treat and I just thought why not live by it?’
Ben remembers seeing the hall for the first time and being impressed by the space. ‘I love yellow, so I really fell for the yellow stained
