Buying a Burnt-Out Cottage Instead of a Move-In Ready Home Pushed Him to the ‘Absolute Limit’

by anastasiakaufman-chime-me

A tough approval process, legal fees and pandemic price increases almost derailed Paul Fox’s project in Totteridge, but in the end, he got the home across the finish line

Elongated, grayish-brown bricks from Germany were used for the exterior of the house, which is entered through a gated courtyard.
Elongated, grayish-brown bricks from Germany were used for the exterior of the house, which is entered through a gated courtyard. FRANCESCA JONES FOR WSJ

By: Fred A. Bernstein June 25, 2025 12:00 pm ET

Paul Fox thought he was looking for a new house. It turns out he was looking for a project.

The 46-year-old financier figured that out after an agent showed him a lovely house in Mill Hill, a leafy suburb of London, that was move-in ready. He wasn’t interested, he says, because there… LEARN MORE…

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