Fans of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location were left shocked after a couple from the show spent a total of £1million on a terraced house in Edinburgh.
Financial advisor Jason and coach Zoe were looking for a family home in the idyllic Scottish capital to settle into after a decade of living in Hong Kong with their two daughters, aged 11 and 13.
Wednesday night’s episode showed the couple beginning their search in September 2020. While searching for their dream home, they rented a property in the affluent area of Stockbridge, where flats cost around £1 million.
But when the episode revisited the couple several years later, viewers were shocked by how much they had spent in total on the house, after shelling out £625,000 to buy the property and another £375,000 to fix it up.
Phil Spencer found the couple a Victorian terraced house two miles west of Stockbridge in Blackhall (pictured after renovation)
With a budget of £850,000 to £950,000, Phil Spencer was tasked with helping them search for a four-bedroom property after they sold their house to move abroad.
He found them a Victorian terraced house two miles west of Stockbridge, in Blackhall, which was on the market with offers of more than £650,000.
However, Jason and Zoe made an offer £25,000 below the asking price and said they could pay for the property immediately in cash.
Edinburgh appears to be a special place for Zoe and Jason, as the couple first met there in the ’90s in a pub.
After a tense wait, the couple discovered there was another party interested in the property, but they still managed to pocket it for £625,000.
Phil went to visit them in 2023, almost three years after buying the property, to see how much it had changed.
Zoe and Jason spent a total of £375,000 renovating the house – more than half of what they paid for the house.
But lovers of the Channel 4 TV show were shocked they spent £1million in total and took to X to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “A final terrace for a million pounds…”
To which another responded: ‘375k to renew. Where is that amount of money found?
Financial advisor Jason and coach Zoe were looking for a family home in the idyllic Scottish capital to settle down
The old kitchen before Zoe and Jason renovated the property.
Zoe and Jason spent a total of £375,000 renovating the house, more than half of what they paid for the house (the kitchen-diner after the renovation).
The former drawing room of the £625,000 property in Edinburgh
Jason and Zoe said they wanted to keep the Victorian features (the living room after renovation)
Lovers of the Channel 4 TV show were shocked they spent £1million in total and took to X to share their thoughts.
A third wrote: ‘Did he just say the cost of the construction work was 375,000? I only have one thing to say: that builder saw it coming dearly.’
A fourth said: “Offers over 650 for an end terrace in Scotland and no garage needing a complete renovation.”
A fifth commented: “The suburbs around Edinburgh look good (not going to lie) but the prices are crazy.”
Jason and Zoe spent the money on a ground floor extension, which meant they had to dig up the entire garden, leaving them with an extra bathroom, laundry room and an extra bedroom.
They also did some work on the roof, windows, heating and electrical, built a new driveway and knocked down part of their daughter’s bedroom to make room for her bathroom.
Jason and Zoe spent the money on a ground floor extension, which meant they had to dig up the entire garden.
Zoe and Jason’s extension (pictured) and additional work on the house took 18 months to complete
One of his daughter’s bedrooms before renovating it.
The bedroom after Zoe and Jason renovated their ‘forever home’
The extra downstairs bathroom they got with their addition.
The extra bedroom downstairs that Zoe now uses as an office.
It took them 18 months to get the keys to move into the house, and Phil said he was “not surprised” when he heard how much the couple had spent renovating the property.
He admitted it was £50,000 more than Zoe and Jason wanted to spend, but they had managed to find their “forever home”.
Zoe said: “You see your friends doing fun things in Hong Kong and you think I’m going to miss it, but we’re happy, we’re glad we came and made that decision.”
He now uses the spare bedroom downstairs as an office and Jason has a garden shed, where he can retreat when working from home.
“I just pinch myself every day that I live here,” Jason said.
Phil Spencer said he was “very proud” of them and was glad everything finally worked out.