Couple Transform Run Down Semi-Detached House Into Dream Family Home

Over the past five years, the DIY duo have transformed the old and unloved semi-detached house into the property of their dreams.

With a stunning terraced garden, pool, and state-of-the-art fixtures and fittings throughout, the finished house is giving us major property envy.

In total the couple put £100,000 on the project, plus a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

The pair estimate that they did "90 per cent of the work themselves" from digging the foundations to fitting the kitchen.

With day jobs in finance and marketing, Lizzy and Phil had to give up their weekends and evenings to the project, which has been a labour of love.

"During lockdown we tiled 100sqm of the back garden. It was back-breaking but a great achievement over the period.

"The house has full home automation, which includes scene lighting, whole house audio, room-by-room smart heating and an integrated audio-visual system."

The couple struck lucky when they were able to buddy up with their neighbour to build a two storey extension on both properties.

Lizzy explained: "Joint planning allowed us both to gain a much bigger footprint in our extension and our neighbour is a bricklayer so he built both extensions at the same time."

The heavy-duty elbow grease involved in the project hasn't been the only hurdle the couple have faced in the past five years.

The couple have lived without heating and gas for months at a time and made huge "sacrifices with time and money".

Lizzy said: "Living without heating over the first six months was really hard as we moved in over the winter and the gas had been cut off.

"Fighting the constant dust was a losing battle and it could be found on everything we owned.

"We made many sacrifices with time and money, dedicating both to buying the necessary parts for the house and weekends to carry out the work.

"We can't say for sure but we're confident we've spent £100,000 - but not much more than that."

It's all been worth it though. Lizzy and Phil love the final house and have fully nested to make it a forever home.

"We love so many parts of the house, as we've made it into our space which works really well for us," said Lizzy.

"The garden is a blessing - having a pool is a real luxury when the weather is good. The garden is in a valley so it's very relaxing place filled with wildlife, which is great for the soul.

"We must admit we're enjoying the latest stage: relaxing at the weekends, enjoying the fruits of our labour in the pool and garden when the weather is good!"

The DIY enthusiast continued: "Online has been our biggest friend for getting confident in how to do things. Instagram, Houzz and Pinterest have been our go-to places for inspiration - compile a moodboard of all the images you like for inspiration.

To any couples looking to take on a similar home transformation, Lizzy and Phil have plenty of advice to share.

"Decide on colours early doors," said Lizzy. "One of our biggest regrets is painting the house in neutral colours with the intention of repainting once we knew the colours we would ultimately prefer.

"Problem is repainting the house will be a mammoth job - would have been better to do it right from the start.

"Always consider lighting at the start of your project; you will need to lay cable early doors so consider how you want to light up your space.

"It can make or break a space and add oodles of atmosphere.

"Consider home automation if you possibly can. We used Loxone and it's fantastic - it's incredibly intuitive and gives you freedom in your space that standard electrical systems don't do."

Overall, though, the couple urge others to "have the confidence to give things a try - don't be afraid to fail."

What a transformation! When can we move in?