Thank your lucky stars that all the work on Willow Barn and Willow Cottage has already been done.

Owner Sue Kollatos, who lives there with partner Peter Judson, says it was a six-month-long nightmare.

“We lived out of boxes in dirt and muck, with often no electricity, but the end result was worth all the misery,” Sue says.

If you are looking for a four bedroom barn conversion with style and history, plus a single bedroom cottage, that is ready to move in to, all set in stunning landscaped gardens, then look no further.

“A plaque on the wall at Willow Barn shows that it dates back to 1681, making it one of the oldest buildings in Laycock” says Sue.

Someone built a double garage on the end of the barn at some stage, which was converted into a one bedroom cottage about 12 years ago.

“We were looking for a property to modernise, and after seeing this decided it had lots of lovely features but needed a lot of TLC. We liked the long distance views, the privacy of the garden – which is around a third of an acre – and the large driveway.

“The cottage was also ideal for my parents, as my mum needed daily care and I would be on-hand to help out.”

After moving their boxes in during the summer, they planned to be in the house by Christmas.

“We started with restoring the en-suite, house bathroom and downstairs cloakroom, and then had double glazed windows and doors fitted,” Sue recalls.

While all this was going on inside, they removed all the ivy from the building and restored the porch with a marble floor. Once the upstairs was completed and the fitted furniture installed, they moved downstairs to refurbish the kitchen and utility, which included removing the wall between the utility and pantry to create a larger utility.

“Then I decided what the kitchen needed and chose traditional French hand-carved oak units. This took several weeks, as all the walls were re-skimmed,” says Sue. “We retiled the floor in the two rooms, plus the cloakroom, then updated the open, double-sided gas fire. The conservatory floor was levelled and a marble floor laid.

“Thankfully, all that was left then was the decorating, which took another three weeks. We were getting near to Christmas but went ahead and ordered all the carpets to have them fitted on December 23.”

Then they were free to enjoy living in the heart of this thriving rural community, with a five minute drive of Keighley.

Built of stone under a traditional grey slate roof, with outstanding rural views, the restoration of the property has created a lovely family home with original features, including mullion windows, beamed ceiling and exposed stone.

Willow Barn has a sitting room with exposed beams, which is open to the dining room and has patio doors into the conservatory. There is also a kitchen with a number of integrated appliances and a utility room with plenty of cupboard space.

Upstairs is a master bedroom with walk in wardrobe, ceiling beams and an en-suite shower room, plus three further bedrooms and the house bathroom.

The self-contained adjoining cottage has a sitting room with stone fireplace and patio doors to the front garden, a kitchen with a range of units and an understairs cupboard, together with a double bedroom with two roof lights and a bathroom with white suite and part-tiled walls.

While all the work was being carried out, the couple hired a digger to knock down a wall in the garden and level the top garden, which was then re-turfed. Trees were removed and hedges lowered, and a greenhouse and summerhouse erected.

“The conservatory is our favourite room because it’s an all-year room where we can sit and enjoy the views and garden, and see how the newly-designed rockery has become established, as well as the centre water feature and shrubs,” Sue adds.

“One of the best things about living here has been to enjoy the lovely position of the barn and its surroundings. We installed electric gates and outside lighting, so have felt very secure.

“We are going to miss the privacy, the garden and the enjoyment of having done such a lot to the property. Now, because we no longer need the cottage, we feel it is time to move on.”

l In last week’s What You Can Get For feature, the price of Blackstone Cottage in Drub Lane, BD19, for sale with Robert Watts, Cleckheaton, should have been offers over £500,000. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Willow Barn & Willow Cottage in Laycock Lane, Laycock, are on the market for £500,000 with Waite & Co, Bingley, tel (01274) 552081