A woman transformed an old 1890s Victorian Maisonette into a contemporary and modern home in a DIY home renovation.
Kim McFarlane, 31, from Glasgow, Scotland, always had a love for Victorian-style homes and old buildings.
She purchased an old, run-down 1890s Victorian Maisonette in Glasgow for £90K from a private seller in May 2018 with plans to renovate the entire property.
Kim removed all the old wallpaper, lifted the carpets and removed the old kitchen before enlisting the help of tradesmen for electrics and bigger installations.
The house was stripped back to bare brick, plastered and freshly painted and each of the rooms was given a complete modern revamp.
Kim added a shower in the bathroom and converted the small kitchen into a utility space.
She then renovated the second living room into a large kitchen with a combined dining area to make use of the large space.
Kim went with an ultra-modern look for the kitchen, fitting in glossy tiles, handles units and state-of-the-art lighting to give it a contemporary look.
Speaking about her home transformation, Kim, who works as a sales advisor, said: “I was extremely lucky as we did a private sale as I knew the seller so got it quite a bit under the home report which never happens in this street.
“I did all the dirty work like removing wallpaper, lifting carpets, removing the old kitchen etc.
“Then I used tradesmen for the bigger jobs as I wanted the perfect finished.
“Now that it’s done, I love to do a bit of DIY when I’m wanting to change it up a bit like what I’ve done in my spare bedroom recently.
“The house was stripped back to the bare brick and newly plastered in every room and freshly painted.
“The bathroom was fully removed and wet room with a shower added for more space, I kept with a traditional bathroom suite high cistern to keep in time with the properties age.
“The small kitchen was removed in the back and changed to a utility space.
“I then changed the second living room into a large kitchen with dining area which works far better.
“In the kitchen, I went ultra-modern with high gloss tiles and handles units and amazing under unit lighting, I love this room.
“All the doors, skirting’s and cornice are original which was important to me to keep.
“I replaced a gas fire with an antique cast iron one in the living room which would have been there before, and I was very lucky to find and original fireplace in the spare bedroom hidden behind plywood like many of its original features.”
The entire renovation cost between £20 to £22K, with the kitchen costing £8K and bathroom between £4.5K to £5.
Despite the challenges that came with renovating a home on her own, the 31-year-old managed to complete the transformation on her own in just under a year.
She added: “I think the most challenging part was how much work had to be done.
“I had to work out how much money it all cost because I took it right back to the brick and floorboards there wasn’t a habitable room in the house.
“It was also very difficult to find reliable tradesmen.
“It was a lot of stress and worry whilst juggling some personal problems but when the progress began it was the best feeling in the world.
“My advice would be to not be scared of a challenge.
“Always believe in your vision when others can’t see it.
“Enjoy the journey even when you’re crying yourself to sleep with stress.
“And take lots and lots of pictures it helps to look back to see how much progress you have made, also DIY and upcycle until your hearts content you will love an item way more than buying it from a store.”
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