It’s the Grand Designs folly that was transformed from a 250-year old ruin into a modern designer home.
And now the unique property in the rolling landscapes of the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire is for sale.
After costing £300,000 to rebuild – in addition to the £100,000 to buy the land – the renovated two-bedroom house is currently for sale for £850,000 via estate agents Hamptons International.
The couple behind the rebuild, who have had their second child since starting the project, put the home up for sale nine months after moving in because it is now too small for them.
Pictured: Grand Designs’ Kevin McCloud with Jimmy Fernandez and his wife Mimi, the couple who revived the Grade-II listed property
The renovation of Dinton Castle – which is also known as Dinton Folly – featured in an episode of Grand Designs on Channel 4 earlier this year.
In the programme, its presenter Kevin McCloud stands outside of the ruin at the start of the project, saying: ‘It may have the shape of a mini Tudor tower, but this mini-castle wasn’t built for defence. It was, in fact, built 250 years ago to house a gentleman’s fossil collection.
‘Of course, now it has become something of a relic itself.
‘It’s a building that doesn’t want to stand up anymore. It just wants to fall over in two big halves. Well, it’s going to as its owners are going to try and repair it.’
The renovation of Dinton Castle – which is also known as Dinton Folly – featured in an episode of Grand Designs on Channel 4 earlier this year
Original features: The renovated living room saw much of the original brick left exposed
Pictured: Dinton Folly before and after the extensive renovation project
The couple who revived the Grade-II listed property were architect Jimmy Fernandez and his wife Mimi.
Jimmy exclusively told MailOnline Property: ‘The project was more transformative than we had originally anticipated as we had our second child during the house build. We are now a happy and growing family of four in a two-bedroom house, so it is time for us to move on to the next stage in our lives.
‘This is a beautiful and award-winning house, ideal for a couple looking to live in a unique place that is truly inspiring.’
What a Grand Design! The Grade-II listed property is for sale for £850k via estate agents Hamptons International
History in the making: The folly was originally built 250 years ago to house a gentleman’s fossil collection
There is a kitchen on the lower floor, with a staircase to the first and second floors
The property’s owner – and architect – Jimmy Fernandez had the staircase build to exact specifications
Today, there are two bedrooms of equal size on the second floor of the folly in Buckinghamshire
In the Grand Designs episode on Channel 4, Jimmy explained: ‘I’ve always wanted to live in a castle and now I’ve got my chance.’
They bought the land for £100,000 without any planning permission – and only obtained it on the basis that they would not extend the building.
The work began with digging the trenches for utilities services – power, water and sewerage – before starting on the crumbling stone walls and inside.
The lower floor has a compact kitchen, with an octagonal living room with a fireplace on the first floor and two bedrooms, each with a compact staircase, on the second floor.
There is a terrace roof with a seating area and a grand outdoor staircase leading up to the main entrance.
The octagonal living room on the first floor comes with a fireplace and beams on the ceiling
Child’s play: The second bedroom is currently being used for the couple’s two children
The couple started out with a £200,000 budget for the building work, but this proved to be too ambitious
THE ORIGINS OF DINTON FOLLY
Pirctured: Sir John Vanhatten
Dinton Castle – also known as Dinton Folly – was built by Sir John Vanhatten as part of a larger estate that includes Dinton Hall.
Historical documents written by Sir John about the folly were found on the estate – during the separate renovation of Dinton Hall.
In 1769, he writes: ‘Laid the foundation stone of Dinton Castle.’
Three years later, in 1772, he says: ‘Found entrenching the ground about the castle, a glass cup and skeleton, and many human bones, broken spears and bits of swords and many other weapons.’
Kevin McCloud explains in the episode of Grand Designs: ‘Obviously what he found was the Saxon grave underneath the site, which he dutifully put back into place and buried – only for Jimmy to dig up all again.’
Kevin goes on warn: ‘Nobody took much notice of Saxon bones in the 18th century. But today, buried bodies on a building site can bring a project to a dead halt.’
Indeed, bones were found on the site, which delayed the project. Thankfully, they were limited.
However, the ground work still took longer than expected and cost £30,000, double what Jimmy was expecting.
The couple started out with a £200,000 budget to do the building works, which proved to be too ambitious.
‘Working on older buildings can be a slow and expensive business,’ explained Kevin during the programme.
As well as expecting their second child during the project, they were evicted from their rental property just before Christmas last year and had to borrow £50,000 from Jimmy’s parents along the way.
Former teacher Mimi, who had met Jamie in Spain several years ago, was hopeful that the build would take just six months, meaning they could move in by June 2017 just before the birth.
However, after missing several moving deadlines, the Fernandez family finally moved into the property in March 2018.
Each of the bedrooms have an en suite, with views of the surrounding countryside
The property is set back from the main road within a three-quarters of an acre plot of land
The house has views of the rolling landscapes of the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire
Annabel Dixon, of property website Zoopla, said: ‘This is a beautifully-renovated property. It has been transformative for the young couple, who stand to double the value of the 250-year-old building in just a couple of years.
‘Their blossoming family have now outgrown the folly, but it will make a wonderful new home for someone else who wants to be Lord or Lady of the Manor.’
The project has received a design award for renovation from Aylesbury Vale District Council.
Set back within a three-quarters of an acre plot, the property is accessed via an electric gate and circular gravel drive.
It is next to the A418, on the outskirts of Dinton, a village on the Buckingham and Oxfordshire borders.
The average price of a property in Dinton is £450,000, compared to an average of £309,922 for the whole of Britain, according to property website Zoopla.
There is a village pub, church and combined Church of England village primary school with neighbouring Cuddington taking children from the age of four to 11 years old.
The house is on the outskirts of Dinton, a village on the Buckingham and Oxfordshire borders