A thrifty couple saved more than $35,000 by renovating their home from scratch – to showroom standard – using Facebook Marketplace, rummage sales, and do-it-yourself efforts.
Nine years ago Louise Jones, 37, a mental health nurse, and her husband James, software developer, 42, bought a fixer-upper in Bristol, in southern England, in the United Kingdom.
The front of the house was brown and every room had yellow and orange walls and bright blue carpets.
The pink three-bedroom Victorian terrace is now unrecognizable thanks to the couple who used YouTube videos for help.
Jones is a bargain-buying queen and says research and planning are key to creating your dream beautiful bargain home.
Her favorite feature is her designer table which would have cost her 700 British pounds ($830) if she’d bought it at British retailer John Lewis, but she did her own copy for about 30 pounds ($35).
Jones said: “When we first moved in nine years ago, it was absolutely disgusting.
“We didn’t have the money to splash out on expensive tradesmen and decided to do everything ourselves.
“When we started, we couldn’t even paint a wall.
“But anything is possible with the guidance of a YouTube tutorial.
“We laid all the tiles, and painted and decorated our entire home.”
Transforming her homemade Jones realize her passion for interior design, which she is now trying to pursue as her full-time occupation.
She spends hours trawling Facebook Marketplace and using her creative eye to look for steals that can be upcycled with a bit of sandpaper, paint and TLC.
The star of the home is Jones’ upcycled table modeled off an expensive 700- pound ($830) wooden piece she had found online.
“I had spent months trying to find a round table that would do the job.
“I had trawled all the charity shops but had had no luck, then one day I came across a round wooden table on Facebook market for 50 pounds [$58].
“I haggled them down to 30 pounds [$35] and then got to work sanding it down to reveal a beautiful design below the surface.
“It still needs waxing but the table is the love of my life.”
The money-saving mother of two swears by a mantra of being patient and not being afraid to go wrong.
“Tiling was one of the most difficult things we had to learn to do but if something goes wrong, you can always start again!”
“We have created our dream family home all without breaking the bank.”
The DIY duo laid all the tiles themselves on the fireplace, in the front room and on the splashback in the kitchen.
Instead of opting for tiles she had seen for 70 pounds ($82) a box from British specialist retailer Topps Tiles, she found duplicate tiles from the B&Q home improvement retailer at 23 pounds ($27).
Jones swears by Facebook marketplace and recently bagged a brand new kettle and toaster worth 200 pounds ($237) for just 30 pounds ($35).
The mother-of-two says you can use paint to create the illusion of having a bigger room, by sectioning the wall and using different colored paints.
Although she is never afraid of going wrong, Jones admits to one disaster:
“We attempted to install our own underfloor heating and lay the tiles in our hall, let’s just say it didn’t go to plan and we are waiting to get the professionals in to fix it for us.”
Jones’ top tips for transforming your home on a budget are:-
1. Go to rummage sales, charity shops, and second-hand stores. “I have found so many vintage chairs that are worth a lot of money.”
2. Always look in the clearance sections of shops.
3. Facebook marketplace is the holy grail of saving money- look there before anything else.
4. Have a go at DIY: “Anything is possible with a YouTube tutorial, before moving in to my home I couldn’t even paint a wall.”
5. Try and re-use and re-purpose items you already have, it’s amazing what a bit of paint and sandpaper can do.
Produced in association with SWNS.
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