I bought in my 20s & made £80k profit in just four months with cheap renovations and B&Q bargains
WHEN Molly Bell and Sam Heptonstall walked into their three-bedroom house for the first time, they knew they could turn it into something special – it just needed a LOT of work.
Unlike the neutral interiors the couple prefer, the 1930s home had brightly coloured rooms and VERY dated decor.
Although they knew it needed redecorating, Molly, 26, and Sam, 29, admitted they were “naive” as to how much work the house REALLY needed.
In August 2020, the pair bought their Staffordshire property for £180k and started planning to rewire and replaster the house.
Molly – who works as a marketing manager – explained: “When we first looked around the house we fell in love with it straight away.
“We wanted to put our own stamp on it and create something we could call our own, so we decided to go for it and do a complete renovation.
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““It soon turned into a building site!”
As part of their overhaul, the couple decided to make the kitchen open-plan to incorporate the dining room by removing an internal wall.
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They then revamped the old conservatory by adding a new roof, bi-fold doors and turning it into a separate lounge.
Naturally, the couple had to hire professionals for the larger jobs – such as removing the wall, working on the conservatory and the electrics.
But as for all the cosmetic work, Molly and Sam saved money by taking it on themselves.
She explained: “The majority of the work took place in the second lockdown so we had evenings and weekends where we could just crack on and get stuff finished.
“We would sometimes be here until 9 or 10pm at night finishing off bits.
“Me and Sam were useless going into this – I’d never even painted a room before and Sam hadn’t used a drill. You just kind of learn as you go.”
Trying their best to keep costs down, the thrifty couple revamped their utility cupboard with some £10 marble-effect vinyl and leftover Frenchic paint.
Meanwhile, Molly also turned a plain £17 IKEA vase into a stunning feature pot with a £5.50 B&Q concrete-effect spray paint – and a similar stone vase would have easily set her back £40.
In their bedroom, the couple followed a DIY panelling tutorial they found online and spent just £150 on materials to pull it off.
The extensive renovations took just four months to complete and the couple moved in at the end of December last year.
Having bought the house for £180k in August, they then had it revalued and were amazed to find it was now worth £265,000 – which is a staggering 40 per cent increase.
Molly added: “We’re really pleased with the results – we’ve created our dream home, which we can see us living in forever.
“We are completely finished now and it has completely transformed our home.”
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