Couple transform ‘horror movie’ seven-bedroom Victorian house in just six months for just £700 by buying almost everything from Gumtree (but they admit doing up the whole place could take DECADES)
- Richard and Taylor Howells have renovated their home in Ystalyfera after describing it as a 'building site'
- The upcycling enthusiasts transformed the kitchen with just £400 and got a new bathroom for under £250
- Bargain hunters said the house was so bad when they first moved in that they refused to use one bathroom
A family have transformed their seven-bedroom Victorian house in just six months and with £700 - by buying almost everything from online marketplace Gumtree.
When Richard and Taylor Howells moved into their home in Ystalyfera, they fell in love with it, despite realising that the house will take decades to finish.
When they bought the house, the couple were greeted with a building site and endless amounts of junk and dirt.
This is how the seven-bedroom Victorian property looked before the couple moved in and began their renovation, which they admit could take decades
With the renovation under way, the front of the house has completely transformed as has a substantial part of its interior despite the family spending just £700
But in six months they have already managed to transform their home by doing it all themselves and buying almost everything on Gumtree, saving thousands of pounds.
'When we bought the house in the Swansea Valley, it needed so much work, it was something out of a horror movie,' said Mrs Howells.
'But we absolutely loved it and we just went for it. It needed so many big jobs doing on it that the interior had to take a bit of a back seat.
When the couple moved in less than six months ago, the walls were bare and the Howells say most of the property resembled a building site
This is what the living room looks like after the Howells decided to do a complete overhaul at the Victorian house buying most of their furniture second-hand
The kitchen was transformed for just £400 as the bargain hunters scoured Gumtree so that they could upcycle the seven-bedroom Victorian home
This is how the kitchen looked after the Howells transformed it for just £400. They decided to buy the house despite how rundown it was when they fell in love with the property
Richard and Taylor Howells, pictured, have renovated the house for just £700 after they insisted on buying everything online
Once a ramshackle seven-bedroom house, the Victorian build is transforming into an ideal family home, though its owners believe a full renovation could span decades
'I’m awful and can’t wait at all so I just decided to get creative. Pretty much everything we’ve achieved so far has been on a tiny budget as boring jobs like the roof and scaffolding have taken priority.
'I’m a big lover of upcycling and Gumtree and I have managed to be lucky with a few key pieces in sales and independent shops.
'We managed to have a wonderful first Christmas without feeling like we were living in a building site and I’m quite proud of it now. It’s still a long way to go but it’s a good start.'
The 27-year-old has spent around £700 re-inventing the property.
The couple's thrifty approach to interior design has enabled them to fill the house full of their own furniture on a budget after trawling Gumtree and other sites selling pre-owned goods
The Howells transformed this kitchen in the Swansea Valley home after moving in to a building site they confessed resembles something out of a horror movie
The couple have revamped the bathroom along with the living room and kitchen but fear the whole project could take decades to complete
The couple can now enjoy this bathroom but Richard Taylor says one was so terrible when he first moved in that he refused to even enter the room
Despite resembling a construction site when the couple first moved in, the house now features this homely living room after the pair transformed it
'The kitchen cost under £400 by buying second hand appliances such as a cooker and dishwasher. The bathroom was also under £250 as we re-enamelled the existing suite and bought an off-cut for flooring and used upcycled items for the rest.'
The bargain hunter said there was a lot of damage caused to the property, adding: 'I refused to go into one of the bathrooms in the first couple of weeks as it was so horrendously dirty.
'We couldn’t afford to replace the suite so used a re-enamelling kit to make it white. The living room was damaged by rainwater flowing back in from the gutters.
The thrifty couple have created a family home after searching for household items online on sites such as Gumtree and going to charity shops
'Even after getting the keys we needed multiple skips to clear the junk, the balconies were all overgrown.
'I couldn’t bring myself to put any of my things in the dirty old kitchen cabinets but couldn’t afford to buy all new ones for my plates.
'I bought a cabinet from an old shop that was closing down for £25 and have used it to store a lot of my stuff,' she explained.
Six months after they moved in the couple have transformed one of the Victorian house's bathrooms from a place Mr Howells refused to step foot in to a bathroom ideal for the family home
Mrs Howells added that the past six months had been very stressful. She said: 'My husband Richard loves DIY and I love interior design, we have both done this together and it has been hard.
'We both work full- time so we have to stay up late to try to get things done. It can be relaxing at times but also stressful, we have saved so much money by doing it this way.
'We have had so much support from our family, they have been brilliant. I would love for most of the rooms to be complete in five years, but this is now our forever home.'
This is how one of the bathrooms looked when the couple moved into the house, which the couple say had endless amounts of junk littered about the building
Before and after: Pictured, left, is how the back yard appeared when the pair moved in. Pictured, right is that space they've created out of the mess
This is the sight that greeted the Howells in the attic of the seven-bedroom property when they moved in. They say the complete refurbishment could take decades
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