Couple add £31,000 to value of their ‘vanilla’ house after incredible makeover

Kelly Rowland and Blake Dixon bought their first home together, a three-bedroom Edwardian house, in June 2019 for £126,000 – but they hated how it looked inside

A couple has added £31,000 to the value of their home after giving the “vanilla” property a stunning makeover.

Kelly Rowland, 32, and partner Blake Dixon, from Sheffield, spent around £4,000 on the project over the space of two years and completed most of the work themselves.

The pair bought their first home together – a three-bedroom Edwardian house – in June 2019 for £126,000, but it’s now worth £157,000.

Kelly and Blake weren’t happy with the lack of character inside their new home – saying it had “no style of personality” – and decided to spruce it up.

The couple had some experience in renovating, having previously helped Kelly’s parents transform their home.

This meant they already knew how to plaster, tile, fit windows and block paving and could save cash by not hiring professionals for most of the jobs.

Kelly said: “It looks like we have a new kitchen. [The house] has taken two years due to budgeting, and some of it is still ongoing – like the summer house and workshop which we are currently building.

“I am always redecorating so I will never be finished. [I would advise other people to] be unique and individual. Don’t be overly influenced by perfectly styled interiors.”

She added: “Always try and do things yourself – it is far more rewarding and satisfying.”

Kelly and Blake estimate that the bathroom cost £346.40 to do up, while the entire garden makeover cost less than £300.

They also revamped the kitchen cabinets for just £150 – excluding the handles, which were gifted – using primer and furniture paint.

Have you added value to the property of your home and want to share how you did it? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

Some of the major parts of their renovation project included putting down fresh floorboards, wooden flooring, plastered the walls and tiled.

The large bathroom originally had a plain white three-piece suite with grey walls but it has now had a snazzy update with printed blue and white wallpaper.

And their bedroom, which is in the loft, was transformed from a character-less space with plain light walls and a simple light fixture for decoration, to a gorgeous rustic retreat with warm peach walls and wooden finishes.

Meanwhile downstairs, the dingy dining room now has a feature wall with a forest-print paper, adding a chic black radiator to blend in.

In the living room, they replaced the plain magnolia walls with an on-trend dark grey, adding rattan finishes and plenty of plants.

The kitchen was equally lacklustre before, with cream units with wooden tops that Kelly and Blake updated with sage green paint and white diagonal tiles.

They also reinstalled traditional features throughout the period home – adding coving, a cast iron fireplace and column radiators.

Outside, the simple fenced garden was given a complete revamp, complete with a BBQ area and log storage, plus a large table for al fresco dining and plenty of fairy lights.

Kelly and Blake purchased their garden furniture second hand for £30, refurbishing it by sanding it back to its natural state, painting the bases black and sealing it with exterior varnish.

To create the faux tiled wall, they used £17 masonry paint and a £7 stencil from an auction site.

Inside, they spruced up the bathroom by adding panelling, new flooring, new lighting and an extractor fan.

They also upcycled an old set of drawers to create the luxurious-looking vanity unit – which Kelly says has given the space “a whole new personality”.

For more property renovations, see how this couple transformed their home in three months for £1,550 – adding £90,000 to its value.

And another couple increased the value of home by £238,000 after carrying out a £25,500 renovation.

We also saw how one mum added £75,000 value to her home with amazing lockdown transformation.