Simon Baker sold his one-bedroom apartment in London to buy a derelict cow shed in the Machno Valley in North Wales. The 52-year-old sank his entire savings into buying the land, acknowledging that the move was a huge gamble. For one thing, the shed had no building permits and looked like it could collapse at any moment. Believed to have been built around 1760, the home captivated Baker from the first time he saw it. While everyone in his family thought he was crazy, Baker had always had the urge to take on a restoration project, and the cow shed was the perfect canvas. The property went up for auction in 2013, and Baker had no opponents. After carefully preserving surviving elements of the old cow shed, Baker consulted a local builder, whom he convinced to join him in his journey. Where possible, they preserved the shed’s old beams, and from the outside the shed looks today pretty much like it did in the 18th century. As a way of thanking those involved in the shed renovation, Baker decided to apply for BBC One’s Wales Home of the Year award. He made it to the finals, which will be broadcast in December. Baker says the home is now his “forever home.”
