Yip Ward and Paul Mappley were living in a caravan in England when an unexpected opportunity changed their lives.
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opportunity → live → lives
The couple bought an abandoned hamlet in Normandy, France, and have since taken on the mammoth task of restoring it themselves.
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couple → buy → it
Six years later, they own seven cottages, two barns and several other buildings, and estimate they have saved more than £100,000 through their DIY efforts.
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they → own → efforts
A couple who struggled to afford a home in the UK have turned an abandoned French hamlet into their dream property after purchasing it for just £26,000.
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who → struggle → 26,000
Yip Ward and Paul Mappley, both 52, were living in a caravan in Tunbridge Wells when a friend offered them an opportunity to buy a property in Normandy in 2020.
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friend → live → 2020
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the couple initially purchased the hamlet for £12,000, funding the deal by selling an old tractor and other possessions.
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couple → accord → tractor
They subsequently acquired the neighbouring buildings for another £14,000.
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They → acquire → 14,000
Their estate, called La Busliere, now comprises seven cottages, two barns, a workshop, a cider press, two traditional bread ovens and several other outbuildings.
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estate → call → cottages
The couple began restoring the property building by building and have already converted the original cottage into a holiday rental.
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couple → begin → rental
A horsebox they brought from the UK has also been transformed into accommodation and has reportedly proved extremely popular with visitors.
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they → bring → visitors
The report, based on conversations with the couple, reveals that they have saved more than £100,000 by undertaking much of the restoration work themselves, with assistance from their builder friend Ian, 62.
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they → base → friend
They are now hoping to complete their second cottage by summer 2027.
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They → hop → summer
Yip and Paul first met at 15 before reuniting 13 years later
The couple's French property includes seven cottages, two barns and several other buildings.
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property → meet → cottages
While their decision to buy an abandoned French hamlet might appear like an unexpected adventure, Yip and Paul's official website reveals that their story together began decades earlier.
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story → buy → adventure
The couple first met at school when they were just 15 years old.
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they → meet → school
However, life took them in different directions, and they lost touch for the next 13 years.
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they → take → years
They reunited in 2004, when they were in their late twenties, and that chance meeting became a turning point in both their lives.
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meeting → reunite → lives
According to their website, their reunion inspired them to leave their previous lives behind and start afresh together.
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reunion → accord → lives
They initially had very little money and spent the following years trying different jobs, business ideas and moving homes as they worked towards building a stable future.
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they → have → future
Eventually, they found themselves living in a static mobile home on a friend's farm while building a landscaping business from scratch.
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themselves → find → scratch
Their website describes this period as one of determination and several fresh starts, with the couple gradually establishing themselves before the opportunity to move to France presented itself.
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opportunity → describe → itself
How an £8,000 cottage turned into an entire French hamlet
Yip and Paul have taken on much of the restoration work themselves to cut costs.
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Yip → turn → costs
According to their official website, they first heard about a small house for sale in rural France for just £8,000.
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they → accord → 8,000
They worked hard, saved the money and purchased the property, initially without any intention of completely changing their lives.
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They → work → lives
However, the cottage was located within a largely abandoned hamlet.
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cottage → locate → hamlet
What started as the purchase of one house soon developed into an opportunity to acquire the surrounding buildings.
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started → start → buildings
Their official website's FAQ gives the original purchase price as €10,000 in 2019.
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FAQ → give → 2019
It also explains that by 2020, they had gone from owning one cottage to acquiring the majority of the abandoned hamlet.
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they → explain → hamlet
The remaining properties were purchased later, while they were filming their television series.
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they → remain → series
Recalling how the unexpected opportunity came about, Yip told the Daily Mail, "People always say how did you find the village and it's not that we were looking, it was a chance meeting with a friend who had got a place and was selling it.
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who → recall → it
"
"We definitely see it as the planets aligned.
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planets → see → it
We went and sought out a wreck that had been abandoned 30 years ago and pieced it together," she added.
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she → go → it
At the time, the original sellers had reportedly reconsidered their decision because of the enormous amount of restoration work required.
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sellers → reconsider → work
However, Yip and Paul were willing to take on the challenge.
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Yip → take → challenge
They continued working as landscape gardeners to fund the purchase.
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They → continue → purchase
The couple also benefited from French payment arrangements that allowed them eight months before they had to hand over the entire sum.
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they → benefit → sum
Looking back at how far they have come, Yip said, "We're really cracking on now.
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We → look → ?
We say to ourselves we can't believe this whole place is ours.
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place → say → ourselves
"Coming from where we come from I don't think the gratitude for being here will ever run out.
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gratitude → come → where
It blows my mind," she added.
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she → blow → mind
…and 42 more, not listed.
The Aporia
