A mum-of-two has shared the secrets of how she completely renovated her dilapidated house to create her family's funky dream home for less than £11,000.
Hairdresser Rebecca Rutland, 36, bought a run-down home in February 2016 alongside her husband with the intention of creating their dream home.
The house was barren and uninhabitable, but Rebecca knew that they couldn't afford much else in their desired area, so decided they should throw themselves into renovating the whole home.
It was no easy feat for the Rutland family, as their home would take over seven years to complete, with Rebecca still making changes to the exterior of the home.
Rebecca and her husband started their renovation work straight after their purchase in 2016, equipping their home with their biggest d cor ideas and desires themselves, apart from the rare helping hand from a professional for a window installation and a new boiler for example.
The most expensive room of the whole house to renovate was the kitchen, which stands with gorgeous light wooden flooring, a breakfast bar, black cabinets, and luxurious golden lampshades suspended from the ceiling, and took over £5,000 to do.
The dated and dusty sitting room went from drab to fab for about £1,000, boasting cosy, yet modern decor.
The stylish bathroom that was covered in plaster and dust was converted into a beautiful black-and-white dream for around £3,000.
The most unique part of Rebecca's newly renovated home is the pop of colour throughout, showing that a lot of thought, care and funds went into the tasteful home.
Rebecca and her family are in love with their new dwelling, but it wasn't always smooth sailing for the family of four.
"It was purely a financial decision. We couldn't afford much in our area so we decided to go for a decent-sized home that needed work," she said.
"I think the bathroom was the hardest as I had to move out with our infant son and my husband spent two weeks working on it. It was pretty miserable for him.
"The whole house needed lots of work, luckily, I was completely naive to how much and to the time it was going to take.
"But I remember feeling very overwhelmed when we actually got the keys and looked at it knowing it was ours.
"If I'd known what I was getting myself into I may not have bought it, which would have been a mistake."
Rebecca and her husband completed most of the work themselves, taking seven years to complete the interior.
"We did it mostly ourselves apart from a few things, the windows, kitchen worktop, boiler, some plastering, carpet fitting and shutters," she said.
"We started as soon as we completed the purchase in 2016.
"This is our first home and we love it."
Although it has taken seven years, over £11,000 and a lot of consistent work from Rebecca and her husband, they are in love with the results and call it their dream home.
"We absolutely love it and would find it very hard to move elsewhere.
"The interior is now complete, although there are always jobs to do, and we love it.
"It's stylish, cosy and a great home to both relax and entertain in."
Price Breakdown:
Bathroom(s): Around £3,000
Bedroom(s): Around £1,000
Kitchen: Around £5,000
Sitting Room: Around £1,000
Hall: Around £1,000
Total: £11,000
