A couple's renovation of a five-storey Georgian house in Tenby was almost derailed when builders discovered the property had no foundations, prompting fears it could collapse.
Hannah and her husband bought East Rock House in 2013 after cashing in his pension early to fund the purchase and run it as a holiday let. The property, perched on a rocky buttress between Castle and South Beach, had stunning views but needed extensive work.
Historic links and a Nelson connection
The house has notable history, including a visit by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Hannah said: "Nelson was a war hero, the most famous person in Britain apart from the Duke of Wellington. He was married but had a long affair with a woman called Emma Hamilton."
Nelson stayed at the house at the invitation of local bigwigs who wanted the railway extended to Milford Haven, although that attempt failed. The house was also built by brothers whose father was an advisor to King George III, making it the first Georgian house in Tenby.
Shocking discovery during renovation
Eight months into the project, builders digging to investigate damp proofing found no foundations and no bedrock. Hannah explained: "The builder wanted to investigate the possibility of damp proofing the house, so they started to dig down outside to find the foundations - and didn't find any!"
With the house at risk of collapse, the builder used 28 acrow props to hold up the four storeys above and evacuated the site. The couple had to dig down and fill the void with concrete, turning the house into what Hannah described as "a fortress now".
Transformation and a touching reunion
The renovation included rebuilding the lower two floors with reinforced steel joists, restoring fireplaces, replacing rotten ceilings and floors, and adding new bathrooms, including a copper bath in the main bedroom. The lower ground floor was stripped out to create a kitchen diner with French doors to the terrace.
During the work, Hannah found an old RNLI flag in a storeroom and had it framed. A former resident in her 70s who visited was moved to tears when she saw it, saying it was her father's flag. He had used it to collect donations from beachgoers who got stuck by the tide and asked to walk through the house.
The couple, both aged 60, have now retired and are selling the house, which has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms and five storeys, with a guide price of £1.5m through Country Living Group.
