Sykes Owner Stories - Bennar Fawr

Resting by the coast near Dyffryn Ardudwy, North Wales is this remarkable, detached house of Bennar Fawr.

A historic property that dates back to the 15th century, Bennar Fawr is ideal for a large family celebration or gathering.

Owners Laura and Nico give us an insight into how the property took shape and what have been the biggest challenges.

What were the initial goals for Bennar Fawr?

Laura: I think the goal for how I wanted Bennar Fawr to look was to create a space that was very comfortable and welcoming but also up to quite a high standard, just creating a nice space for people to gather. Having a nice big kitchen like this or a cosy lounge for the evening, it was thinking about what a group of friends or family would want when they all came together, I think was key to deciding how the place should look.

What made you get into holiday letting?

Nico: We went on a family holiday for my nan’s 90th, I remember turning up to the house with my mum and there being a guy there with fresh bread and a pint of milk to greet us and thinking, God, that seems like a nice life, he seems happy.

Tell us about this amazing kitchen area at the property

Laura: The biggest challenge was finding a space for the kitchen because we always wanted this big kitchen space for everyone to be able to come in the evening or have breakfast in the morning altogether. It took about a month of scratching our heads with how to find it here, this was a workshop attached to the house that the owner had built 30-40 years ago. The space when we measured it out was ideal for what we wanted to do and so we hoped just to fix the roof, we ended up having to knock this down and rebuild again to the dimensions it had been, but it was a bit of a eureka moment finding out the workshop would be ideal for the kitchen.

Nico: Our plan was because we spent a lot of time going on holidays in Wales, we know the importance of staying true to the Welsh surroundings, so we wanted to name all the bedrooms after different landmarks in the area, which the guests seem to like.

How long did it take to set the property up?

Laura: From us getting the keys to have our first guests in was 8 ½ / 9 months. I think we had anticipated about 4 months, but it is a big lesson that we are learning, that it always takes longer and it always costs a little bit more than you expected but I think once you are prepared for that it is not a scary thing.

Nico: I just wanted to create an experience which people enjoy, and we get feedback and create a product that people can get together and enjoy and you get to hear from them every week.

What was the most challenging part of the project?

Laura: The most challenging part of the project was I think the initial couple of months, of that feeling of almost getting worse before starting to get better and its quite stressful when you realise that most of the rooms were liveable and gradually more and more of the house is becoming unliveable and I think the lack of experience on my part, I didn’t have the confidence that it would all come back together again, but it did quite quickly.

Nico: When you are looking around houses and putting the offers in, I didn’t realise that was the easiest part of the whole thing and once we actually completed on Bennar Fawr, I remember walking in on the first day and sort of seeing the full scale of what we had to do and when the builders first come in and start taking all the wallpaper off, it can be quite overwhelming but as the process goes on and with every step you see it slowly coming together.

Laura: I still don’t feel very much like an expert because as we have done different properties, they’re a bit like different children, you think you know what you are doing and the next one is totally different and presents new challenges but I think it has given us more confidence and to be more realistic with time frames and de-code what trades tell you about things and when they are actually going to be on-site.

What made you go with an agency?

Laura: We chose to go with an agency because I think the amount of work involved in managing things like changeovers, that was already enough for us, and I don’t think we ever thought we could reach as many people and be as visible to guests without the clout of an agency behind us to market the property.

What is your experience of using Sykes Holiday Cottages?

Nico: Going into it you sort of worry that you are just going to be thrown on the pile with all the other properties with any other agency but with Sykes, it feels more like a partnership. They really want the property to perform as well as we do, they want people to have great experiences, same as us.

Do you have any tips for prospective owners thinking of getting into holiday letting?

Laura: I think probably the biggest thing that I have taken away from it that might be helpful to somebody else would be to create a space that you would like to stay in.