A woman has added £78,000 to the value of her home after renovating the property – using second-hand items to decorate it.
Harriet Langsbury, 28, a freelance interior stylist from Gloucestershire, has given new life to her 1930s home, which had been left empty for 30 years.
She and her partner, Gavin Forsyth, 35, purchased the property in December 2019 for £183,000 and quickly fell in love with its original features.
The duo wanted to make the most out of the three-bed, semi-detached home – but as money was tight, they started the renovation process by themselves.
“We were forced into renovating, as we couldn’t afford anything else,” Harriet told Jam Press.
“With the housing market skyrocketing, we couldn’t purchase a ‘ready to live in’ house.
“The house had been left empty for years, so you can imagine the state it was in.
“We didn’t want to modernise the house beyond recognition, so we tried to keep what was left of its unique character.
“When we started I had never picked up a drill, but now I’d be confident to do most jobs on my own.
“It’s so liberating learning all of these practical skills.
“My family are all in the trade – my partner is an electrician and my dad and brother are both plumbers and gas engineers.
“Between them, they share the knowledge and skills needed so took on most of the tasks.”
One of the first rooms the family tackled was the living room.
They replaced the bay window for £750, replastered the walls for £250 and built their own shelving, costing just £150.
Harriet said: “We started by rewiring the room, which my partner did by himself.
“We placed second-hand carpet which we found for free and built shelving on either side of the chimney.
“Lastly, we painted the walls and woodwork which my sister helped us with.”
In total, the pristine white room transformation cost £1,240 to complete.
As they have had help from family members, costs have been kept low and the pair say they couldn’t have done it without them.
One of the most expensive rooms they have renovated was the kitchen, which cost £6,570 in total.
Harriet said: “We started by informing building regulations of the structural changes and then proceeded to knock the wall through between the kitchen and dining room.
“We got an engineer to measure up the steel, which Gavin and his friend installed themselves.
“After, we installed new windows and cut the wall through to install French doors leading to the garden.
“Then, we added hardwood flooring and replastered, as well as painted the walls and woodwork.
“It took us a while to work out the kitchen layout, but we managed to get this from a company called Benchmarx.
“We saved money by adding shelving rather than top units and luckily, the sink was free as it was second-hand.
“Our fridge was also second-hand, which we bought from Facebook Marketplace and we got the dishwasher, hob and oven all from eBay.
“I love the kitchen, as the open plan cooking and dining space is perfect for having everyone over.
“In the bathroom, we wanted to change the layout of the room as it felt small.
“We worked out that if we moved the stud wall a few inches, we could create the layout we wanted.
“So we got to work and moved the wall ourselves, before adding underfloor heating and tiling.”
As Harriet’s brother and dad worked on the plumbing, the bathroom was overhauled for just £1,898.
One of her favourite rooms is the downstairs toilet, which they converted from an understairs cupboard.
Despite everyone being against the idea, as the cupboard was “too small”, she believes that it’s the best transformation of the house and only cost £317.
Overall, the duo have spent £19,294 renovating their home over the course of a year, and in a recent valuation they found out they have increased its value by £78,000.
She decided to upload a video of the transformation on TikTok, as she wanted to inspire people to renovate using second-hand items.
Harriet added: “[Buying second-hand] is a much more sustainable way of renovating and it also helps to save money.
“Many people have loved the ideas we had, but we have had a few ‘experts’ telling us the things we did wrong.
“We are still looking for our forever home to start a family and we have an eye on another property.
“[My advice] is to always give it a go.
“There are so many projects you can safely attempt yourself and there are many tutorials online.
“Always make sure that qualified professionals do the electrics, plumbing and gas though, as it’s never worth the risk.
“We did lots of mood-boarding so we knew what we were looking for, as planning is key.
“Any changes you want to make cost money, so have a clear plan that you are confident with as this saves time and money.
“There are so many bargains to be had out there and we cut our costs in half by hunting for the best prices.”
COSTS BREAKDOWN:
Kitchen – £6,570
Living room – £1,240
Bathroom – 1,898
Downstairs toilet – £317
Bedroom 1 – £1,840
Bedroom 2 – £1,050
Bedroom 3 – £570
Miscallaneous (including scaffolding, rendering, roof repairs, gas installation) – £5,809
Total: £19,294
