The story of one family’s relationship with the house that’s been the focus of their lives for over 40 years reads like a real life modern day version of a fictional family saga serialised on telly.

Old Stocks in St John’s Road, Hazlemere was built to a design drawn up by the owner, company director Ron Lowe.

He bought the two-thirds of an acre woodland site in 1963. At that time his family consisted of himself, his then wife Mary and their six children.

It was the third and largest house he had built for his brood.

The first one was in Cheshire, then they moved south to be close to Ron’s business interests in London and he built a house in Radnage.

They lived there for five years until they found the south-facing plot in Hazlemere. They had been attracted to Bucks as a good spot to put down roots because they wanted to live in the county that retained grammar schools.

As Ron’s youngest daughter Rebecca summed up this week: “The three houses he built were near identical in form and structure, each larger than the last to house his exponentially growing family like a series of Russian dolls.

“Dad bought the first plot of land [in Cheshire] for the princely sum of £400 in 1955.

“He put in an immense amount of research and effort to build each of his three houses from scratch. He designed them all himself after going to various exhibitions and showrooms to pick up all the latest tips. Each of them was very cutting edge at the time.”

All the main rooms upstairs and down are on the south-facing front of the house. Picture windows make the most of the sunlight.

The latest house was named Old Stocks because it was built with old stock bricks recovered from a site in London. The roof tiles are man made versions of local flagstones.

Rebecca maintains her dad was ahead of his time in his use of heat-retaining insulating blocks and plasterwork inside the house

To increase the ceiling height in the living room he designed a step that runs through the whole of the split level ground floor.

The completion of the house didn’t improve domestic harmony. The turning point was when Mary left never to return. Many years later Ron was introduced to Katalin who became his second wife, step-mother to six and mother of Ron’s two youngest children. All the children are now adults.

Kati, as she is known to family and friends, says she and Ron had more than 40 happy years together at Old Stocks before his death last year at the age of 90.

During her time as chatelaine she updated the interior of their home to bring it up to date and give it the flexibility to match the different needs of their extended family.

Today the original tally of eight bedrooms has been reduced to six and there are two bathrooms upstairs instead of one.

One of the main improvements is the creation of the five-star master suite. The master bedroom now opens onto a covered verandah overlooking the garden. Kati explains: “Previously we looked out onto the flat roof over one of the reception rooms. There was obvious potential to turn that area into a first floor terrace. The views are wonderful.”

She also found space for a second bathroom to reduce the queue when all the family stay over.

Downstairs there are four reception rooms – the dining room opens onto the main living room. There’s also a playroom and study and farmhouse sized kitchen with separate utility.

Kati is Hungarian. She has a title in her homeland. She was knighted on October 2, 1995. The honour was passed down by her father Istvan Gyory for his patriotism to Hungary. He had spent two and a half years in prison for being involved in the uprising against soviet rule. When the regime changed he was regarded as a hero.

In Hungary, those who are honoured with a title have the option of passing on the distinction to their eldest child, be it son or daughter.

Consequently as her parents’ eldest child, Kati is a knight and held in high esteem in Hungary. Her large family of step children and children in England say she’s a super star. Far from regarding her as Cruella de Vil, they treasure her as a super mum.

For her 65th birthday in 2011, her English husband presented her with an 18 carat gold replica of the brooch she received on her big day in Hungary in 1995. Ron commissioned Marlow jeweller Neil Fullard to make the medallion Kati now wears with pride on a chain round her neck.

“I had a terrible childhood under the communist regime but a wonderful 40 years with my husband,” she told the Free Press this week.

Following Ron’s death last year at 90, she decided to move to the west country which is why Old Stocks is for sale through Tim Russ in Hazlemere for the first time since it was built. Offers in excess of £1.25m to the area director Martin Perry.