It’s not every day you find your dream house for SEK 500,000. But for David and Leonore Cortess Holmström, that’s exactly how it started – an unexpected love story with a dilapidated house in southern Kverrestad in Österlen. In the ninth episode of Husdrömmar, we follow the couple’s four-year journey from overgrown ruin to a home that bears their hearts in every wall, every plastered joint and every brick row.
This is not just the story of a house – it is a story of refusing to give up, of building a life together, and of never losing sight of the vision, despite the fact that the road to get there was much longer, more tortuous and more expensive than expected.
Table of contents
Background information
David and Leonore are not just a couple – they are a team. Their journey began at a trade fair in Germany, where they met by chance and got stuck in a conversation that lasted until four in the morning. That night, the seeds of both their love and future life together were sown.
When they found the house in Österlen, they both felt that it was rather the house that found them. Despite its dilapidated state, a plot full of rubble and a living area that had been unoccupied for months, they saw potential. Leonore started drawing the vision of the future – a home where family life, creativity and nature would have room to grow.
With a newborn daughter, a tight budget and a sea of challenges ahead, the journey was far from easy. But the drive to create something of my own, to shape a life that accommodates both the past and the future, outweighed all obstacles.
Facts about the house
Location: Södra Kverrestad, Österlen in Skåne
Budget: Initially about 3.5 million (including house purchase of SEK 500 000). Later about SEK 6.5 million.
Timetable: Planned occupancy: February 2025.
From ruined house to dream home
When David and Leonore bought the house, it was completely overgrown and filled with rubble. They spent the first year clearing, cleaning and planning. Leonore drew, dreamed and built the vision in her head – a future place for family life and creativity.
But reality caught up. A birth, a construction company that betrayed them, moisture damage and an inspector who found about 60 faults were the start of a long suffering. When they were finally able to move in for the third time, it wasn’t because the house was finished – but because the budget had run out.
Their strategy? Doing as much as possible themselves.
They built brick walls under the roof ridge (Leonore had help from Gustav the carpenter, but did the bricklaying herself), painted the paneling and roof, spackled (many, many times) and laid the floor. A particularly powerful scene is when Leonore climbs the scaffolding, buckets in each hand, and with a determined look on her face, bricks her part of the house. “I have to call my dad later,” she says proudly. “It’s cool to think that I helped build this.”
Dreams of transparency - and unexpected inspiration
The upstairs became a source of both headaches and creativity. Originally planned as three rooms, Gert Wingårdh suggested they create a single open space instead – inspired by his own home. Leonore and David traveled to Bohuslän to see it for themselves, and fell in love with the feeling.
They listened to Gert’s advice and instead created a large shared bedroom, work and play area – with a bathroom as the only separate room. The rounded window in the eaves niche, which lets in a soft purple light, was the crowning touch
- Stiligt
All our furniture and fittings are made in our own carpentry workshop, where every detail is built from scratch according to your wishes. With any color and exclusive materials, we create unique solutions that convey a sense of luxury and timeless elegance.
Final result
In February 2025, the couple receives the final notice – the house is approved. The floor is laid, the stairs are in place, the children’s room is filled with toys and the new bathroom glows in muted blue. It’s finished. They’ve done it.
Although the journey was twice as long and expensive as planned, they have their home. A home they built together – piece by piece, with their hearts in every detail.
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Watch Husdrömmar on SVT Play
