Story from Jam Press

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

A family is able to rebuild after tragedy, with a little help from their friends.

A couple will get to spend their first Christmas in their rebuilt home after a devastating fire destroyed it seven years ago and forced them to live in a caravan.

Chris Harrisson-Daniels, 53, and her husband Bob, 56, from Dartmoor, lost their Okehampton house in January 2014. They have spent the past seven years living in a caravan on site and are finally able to enjoy the festive season in their house once again. “Losing our entire home was mind-numbing, devastating and horrific,” Chris told Jam Press.

“For the first time in seven years, we can’t wait for a Christmas without coats or gloves on, and a big, hot Christmas dinner. Our grandson says it’s the best Christmas ever. Both Bob and myself feel exhausted but relieved that this year we have somewhere to relax.”

In January 2014, the pair were woken up at 3am by their fire alarm, with the blaze and heavy smoke spreading so quickly they were forced to jump out the bedroom window to escape. They believe the blaze was started by a spark or ember from the wood burner, which had likely been left off the latch. While still dealing with the tragedy of seeing their house go up in flames, Chris and Bob were soon dealt another blow – when they found out their home was under-insured.

The couple had bought the house in 2007 and believed it was structurally sound but found out their original surveyor had made a mistake during the inspection. They were left homeless with over £200,000 remaining in mortgage payments. The mortgage provider offered to lend the couple more funds but said they would need to completely rebuild their home first, leaving them with no choice but to camp out in a caravan for seven years while slowly rebuilding.

Chris, who lives with fibromyalgia and doesn’t work, said: “Much of the property was wooden but the surveyor had reported it as brick-built. “It turns out that 80-year-old wood burns really easily, and it meant our insurance company could not pay out for the poor structure of the building. “The fire damage meant we could not live in the property at that time, but due to a survey suggesting, bats in the area we couldn’t take down the unsafe building for over a year, “Although still responsible for a mortgage of over £200,000, we had nowhere to live.

“Our home was structurally unsafe, we had a large mortgage and no immediate funds, it was horrible to go through. All professionals from solicitors to debt advisors recommended bankruptcy was the best option, however, we were determined not to be defeated and chose to roll our sleeves up and start learning. Life in the caravan was difficult, damp and cold. The water froze, the gas canister froze and the shower often had no water. And you know it is cold when the washing-up liquid and cooking oil goes solid. Even the fridge was giving us warmth, it was warmer in the fridge than the caravan. The caravan was old, and due to the damp we had three holes in the floor. Even in the summer it was difficult.”

After three years of living in the caravan, the couple decided to move back into the kitchen area of the house. But with no windows and just plastic sheeting to put over the gaps, the temperature inside the property got down to minus degrees in winter.

Chris said: “Water had to be collected from the outside tap, we didn’t even have a working toilet for many months, but it was better to be in the house and gave us all more space to move around. For Christmas 2016, we used an old wooden board and concrete blocks to make a table for the family to get together. It was freezing, we were sat in our coats and gloves, but we still had an amazing Christmas day with the family.”

Chris saw a light at the end of the tunnel in 2018, when local tradespeople heard of the couple’s struggles and donated their time to help. She said: “One by one, people we assumed were acquaintances became friends. Their kindheartedness and the professionalism of a local electrician and ground worker in particular was amazing, they did everything they could to help.

“One night when a storm blew out the plastic windows it was the local electrician battling against the elements who nailed the boards back up before the storm destroyed everything inside. There were four generations from one family, all around plastering, decorating, fetching and carrying, all to help get a couple of rooms liveable. It is so easy to focus on despair, but we have been humbled by those who have given us hope, we have found true friendships.   As humans, we all need people, no matter how few, but those who give us strength, there are positives and through time they dissolve the hurt and hard work.”

The help from locals got Chris and Bob a makeshift bedroom, as well as another room they used to put a table in for somewhere to eat from. However, the couple knew they needed to keep raising money or the house would never be fully rebuilt.

Chris added: “I heard about Lendology, a social enterprise which lends to homeowners excluded from mainstream finance providers, from our local council. We applied for a loan for £15,000 to put in the windows, create a heating system, sort the electrics so we no longer had to use a torch at night to see anything, and make a sheer drop from the landing safe and helping to complete the rebuilding work. Lendology have been amazing in so many ways, we’re so thankful to them for giving us the chance to get our house re-built.”

Chris and Bob’s property still needs some work but things are looking up for the couple – as they look forward to spending their first proper Christmas in their house. The re-built home now features raised walls to give a double pitched roof, which gives more storage in the loft, as well as a smaller utility room that will fit an extra bathroom.

Chris added: “We’re finally starting to enjoy it and see an end in sight, being able to paint now it is starting to look more like a home than a building site. “Bob and I love hearing our grandchild, J, laugh and play with his toys. “We don’t need to wear hats to bed nor dread getting up on the cold winter morning with no heat. “And we’re incredibly thankful to get to this stage. “Sometimes you’ve just got to think, you cannot stop the sun from rising but with friends to help, you can at least see the end of the day in the comfort and knowledge you are not alone.”