A couple who transformed their dated, plain bungalow into a luxurious, modern space have revealed how they saved around £34,500 – by doing most of the work themselves.
Anna Cooper, 41, and her partner Phill Cooper, 43, a medical engineer, purchased the three-bedroom, two-bathroom property in Manchester for £175,000 in 2009.
At the time, it had been recently renovated and they didn’t feel they needed to do much work.
But in the years that followed, they wanted to create an open space that would be more suitable for them and their children, aged 13 and eight.
After waiting 11 years to ensure they were in a good financial position, they borrowed £68,000 on their mortgage and got to work in June 2020, aiming to add a single-storey extension and renovate the rest of the property.
With renovations taking place during the pandemic, Phill was not as busy with work so he decided to do as much as possible himself.
Now, coming to the end of the project, they’ve spent £72,500 so far but estimates online for a similar size extension in their area put the costs at around £107,000, meaning taking on the work themselves saved around £34,500.
“After completing a similar yet smaller renovation project alongside his dad, the previous summer, Phill felt confident enough take on this project,” Anna told Jam Press.
“Being an engineer meant that his day job became a little less demanding during Covid and he found he had a little more time at home.
“We did hire an architect, who was a personal friend, he was always on hand to advise or rethink ideas with us.
“We also hired a team of bricklayers, a team to fibreglass the flat roof, a professional renderer and a plasterer.
“All other work, including digging the foundations, fitting the kitchen, plumbing, flooring, decorating and electrics were carried out by ourselves.”
Downstairs, the couple knocked down the living room, kitchen and downstairs bathroom, to make it into one large open plan space.
They then re-plastered the whole of the downstairs and added wooden flooring throughout.
Along the back of the house, Anna, who works as a teacher, and Phill decided to put in bifold doors, a large two-metre picture window and two large roof lanterns.
The extension was continued round to the side of the property, adding a stylish bathroom with Victorian-style tiles and a large utility room.
Anna said: “We wanted the kitchen to be the real feature of the house and have that ‘wow’ factor!”
Upstairs, the couple have also extended to refit a large family bathroom, and they are currently decorating the three bedrooms.
While renovating, the family decided to live in the property, but due to delays and issues because of Covid, they faced setbacks.
Anna said: “Living in the house during renovations was hard as we only had a temporary kitchen in our old garage.
“For around six months, we were cooking from a two-ring camping stove.
”The holes that were only covered with tarpaulin didn’t help as they often fell down in the wind and rain.
“It was not easy with two children.”
The couple also found booking professionals was more difficult because of delays in materials due to covid.
Anna, who shares the transformation with her followers on her Instagram account @renovation_at_5a, added: “We had to cancel some professionals and rebook others as they couldn’t fit our job in or there were delays because of Covid. It was a bit of a balancing act at times.”
They have not yet had the house valued as they are waiting until the upstairs is finished, which they hope will be within the next 12 months.
Anna said: “We’d be really interested in finding out if we have added value but we have no plans to sell at the moment.
“We’d just like to enjoy what we have worked so hard to achieve.”
BREAKDOWN OF COSTS:
GETTING OFF THE GROUND:
Plans and drawings £800
Building regs £400
Foundations £3,800
Concrete slab and mesh £500
Bricks and labour £2,000
Drainage/waste £700
Total £8,200
BRICKS AND MORTAR:
Building materials £3,000
Labour £10,000
Supporting steels £6,000
Wooden roof structure £3,000
Insulation £1500
Fibreglass roof £2000
Glazing £8500
Fascias and soffits £2000
Rendering £2000
Total £35,000
INSIDE:
Flooring £3000
Woodbruning stove £2000
Doors and frames £1500
Bathroom suite £700
Radiators £800
Plumbing materials £700
Plumbing labour £500
Electrics £500
Extractor fans £200
Light fittings £500
Plaster £2000
Skirting £1000
Kitchen £11,800
Tiles £1500
Paint/Brushes £300
Total £24,000
OUTSIDE:
Groundworks £400
Patio flags £800
Outdoor concrete £300
Railway sleeps £500
Porcelain tiles £600
Grout £400
Artificial grass £300
Skips £2000
Total £5,300
GRAND TOTAL:
Getting off the ground £8,200
Bricks and Mortar £35,000
Inside £24,000
Outside £5,300
Total: £72,500
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