I’m a single mum & transformed my dingy Housing Association home on a budget

A SINGLE mum-of-two has revealed how she transformed her dingy Housing Association home on a budget.

Victoria Robinson, 34, from Hertfordshire, pays under £600 a month to rent the two-bed, which she lives in with daughters Jessica, seven, and Amber, four.

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A mum has shown how she transformed her dingy Housing Association pad on a budgetCredit: Jam Press
She scoured Facebook Marketplace for brand new furniture and did most of the DIY herself

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She scoured Facebook Marketplace for brand new furniture and did most of the DIY herselfCredit: Jam Press

“I can decorate but I can’t knock down walls,” Victoria says. “I’m allowed to take out the old bathroom and kitchen if I need to, but the responsibility if something goes wrong will be down to me, which is fair.”

Jessica felt the place looked ‘boring’ so did DIY to transform her kitchen worktops for £20 and scoured Facebook Marketplace for bargains.

She says: “The most challenging part was the financial aspect. I work part-time and I’m a single parent to two girls so I constantly searched Facebook Marketplace for furniture.

“I’ve picked up everything brand new from there at an amazing cost. I wouldn’t have been able to do so going into the shops.”

The 'boring' house looks completely different now

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The ‘boring’ house looks completely different nowCredit: Jam Press
Mum painted everything white to give herself a 'blank canvas'

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Mum painted everything white to give herself a ‘blank canvas’Credit: Jam Press
Victoria Robinson, 34, lives in Hertfordshire with daughters, Jessica, seven, and Amber, four

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Victoria Robinson, 34, lives in Hertfordshire with daughters, Jessica, seven, and Amber, fourCredit: Jam Press

With the help of a friend, Victoria stripped out the old floor in the living room and hallway and installed new wooden flooring from Wickes which cost around £300.

Next, she painted the walls white and began decorating the space, scouring furniture within her budget.

For her living room, Victoria bought a rug for £40, a mirror for £40, a coffee table for £80 and a sofa for £400.

In her children’s bedroom, she painted the wall with a funky Dalmatian print and found more furniture from Facebook Marketplace, including a bed for £70 and a play Ikea kitchen set costing £20.

Moving onto the kitchen, Victoria put medium-density fibreboards into her cupboards to create more storage shelves.

She then painted all the cupboards and units white, before hiring a tradesman to strip the kitchen flooring and add new tiles, costing around £400.

Victoria applied white D-C-fix vinyl onto the worktops, costing £20 for two rolls.

My advice is to look for bargains. I don’t have much money but I did this on a strict budget so it is doable

Victoria Robinson34

In her bedroom, Victoria painted the walls white and purchased an Ikea bed for £75, Ikea drawers for £60, and a make-up table for £70, all from Facebook Marketplace.

She says: “I made sure I had a fresh canvas to work with so painted all the walls white.

“I bought furniture from off Facebook Marketplace and started to bring everything together. I’m still nowhere near done but this house has come a long way since we moved in.”

The kitchen looks completely different now

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The kitchen looks completely different nowCredit: Jam Press
The kitchen worktops only cost £20 to revamp

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The kitchen worktops only cost £20 to revampCredit: Jam Press

The last room to renovate is the bathroom, which Victoria hopes to start on soon.

Her entire home renovation cost around £3,000 including the costs of shelves, paint, bedding, sofa baskets, chairs and toys for the children – and she couldn’t be happier with the final results.

She adds: “I’m pleased with the way it’s changed but I’m always still looking to improve, I’m always changing things around until hopefully one day I’ll be finally happy.

“My advice is to look for bargains. I don’t have much money but I did this on a strict budget so it is doable.”

Victoria's girls love their new and improved home

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Victoria’s girls love their new and improved homeCredit: Jam Press
Plants add a homely feel

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Plants add a homely feelCredit: Jam Press
Victoria's bedroom has a stylish dressing table from Facebook Marketplace

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Victoria’s bedroom has a stylish dressing table from Facebook MarketplaceCredit: Jam Press
The dining room area is bright, airy and green thanks to the plants

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The dining room area is bright, airy and green thanks to the plantsCredit: Jam Press
Victoria says you CAN do a similar job on a budget

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Victoria says you CAN do a similar job on a budgetCredit: Jam Press

In more home news, this woman built a tiny house during lockdown to save £60k – now she has financial freedom at 26.

Meanwhile, this couple saved £3,300 on their dream bathroom by doing all the work themselves – but it took four weeks.

And this couple live-rent free after doing up a van using YouTube vids – they save £19k a year & can set up camp wherever they want.

Nick Knowles’ Big House Clearout sees childminder Sally and her two children shocked by their home’s transformation

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