Dad who grew up in council house wins £2.5m home

June 8, 2024

3 minutes read

A dad who grew up in a council house has won a stunning £2.5 million home in a prize draw. Chris Milnes, 60, scooped the 5,000 sqft new-build property after entering the Omaze Million Pound House Draw without telling his wife and kids.

He and wife Jules, 56, now plan to sell the luxury home so he can become a multi-millionaire and give his children “the start in life I never had”.

The thrilled dad-of-three, who also bagged a cash prize of £100,000, said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d ever own a multi-million-pound house. I spent much of my childhood living in a council flat – things like this don’t happen to people like me.

“When I got the call from Omaze to say I’d won something I thought wow, a couple of grand would go down a treat at the minute – I never imagined that I might’ve won a house worth more than a couple of million, it’s crazy. It was a massive surprise to me, but an even bigger one for my wife as she had no idea I’d even entered. To say she was shocked is a bit of an understatement, she was utterly speechless.”

Chris had recently talked with Jules about downsizing, but following their massive windfall, they have now put their financial worries behind them.

He went on: “We currently live in a rented house – and only last week we were discussing having to downsize to help keep our living costs down – but now everything has changed. We’ve worked hard all our lives – and we’ve had to manage some challenging times over the years – but the future has never looked brighter after this win. This house is absolutely gorgeous – it’s like something out of Grand Designs – I keep expecting Kevin McCloud to pop his head around the corner and say hello.”

Chris, a salesman, plans to spend a ‘big holiday’ in the three-tiered home with his family before putting it on the market later this year. It has a magnificent open-plan living room and an impressive feature fireplace wall. The kitchen is equipped with a large central island, banquette seating and a breakfast table facing out over the garden – which opens onto a hardwood deck.

Chris’ new main bedroom suite has a central headboard and a fully fitted dressing room along with a spa-like bathroom with a freestanding bath. There are three further bedroom suites, each with built-in furniture and colour-themed shower rooms, as well as a cinema room. The rainforest-inspired garden also has a hot tub and outdoor shower.