Renovate A House
Ticked off
How I ticked it off
For years I'd moved from place to place and never had a house that was really mine to change. Renovating one was always on the list: finding somewhere with potential and putting the work in to make it a home.
We moved in in August 2023, and it's taken the best part of three years. Here it is, start to finish, in under two minutes.
First job was clearing a garden that hadn't been touched in years, then the conservatory came down to make way for an extension across the back. The trades built the extension, and for months we had no kitchen at all. Takeaways get old fast. When the kitchen finally went in, it was worth the wait.
Then the garage came down. I dug out the garden myself, and by the end we'd filled 18 grab lorries with soil. The trades built the retaining wall, finished the last of the artificial grass and laid the driveway. We did all the inside ourselves: painting, decorating and everything in between, and a carpenter built the media wall.
It's been a lot of dust, decisions and long weekends, but it was worth every bit. It also meant I finally had the garden for another goal on my list: owning my dream firepit.
What it is
Taking a tired house and turning it into a home, room by room.
How to do it
Buy a property with potential, set a budget with a healthy contingency, and line up good trades early.
Top tip
Whatever you budget, add 20%. Something always turns up once the walls come off.
Over to you
Is “Renovate A House” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.