Couple bought £260k "unlivable" house and transformed it by learning DIY on YouTube

A couple bought an "unliveable" flat in London and have already added £20k to its value by transforming it into their dream home step by step - after learning DIY on YouTube.

Rochelle Taylor-Butcher, 29, and her partner, Angus Ord, 30, a data scientist, bought their one-bed flat in Kingston, South London, at the end of March 2023 for £260k.

When they first moved in, the flat was in "disarray" with peeling wallpaper, mould on the walls and a musty carpet.

DIY novices when they embarked on the project, the pair turned to YouTube to learn how to do their own plumbing, install their own kitchen and sand their own floorboards.

Rochelle and Angus say they have already saved nearly £9k doing the work themselves, instead of employing tradespeople, and using free and recycled materials wherever possible.

They are still in the process of doing it up, but they've already added £20k to the price tag of the property.

Rochelle - who designs the interiors of Anya Hindmarch shops - said that when they moved in: "The only way I can describe it is complete disarray, it was completely unliveable.

"The whole flat had a lived-in, musty aroma. I think the carpet absorbed it, it was as if no air had been let in.

“I never thought I would own a property... I grew up in South London and always lived in Housing Association property.

“My parents never owned a property so it didn’t feel like part of life. It felt like a luxury to have that.

“I just feel overwhelming contentment and peace that we are settled and this is our actual space.

"Blood, sweat and tears have gone into the floorboards and the walls, we are now part of the flat," she said.

Rochelle said that the kitchen had uneaten cornflakes behind the dishwasher and old 1970s cabinets.

“Nothing could be salvaged from it," Rochelle said. “There were stains, rust, crumbling tiles.”

The couple have spent the last year renovating the property around their full time jobs, and at the weekends.

They watched hours of YouTube tutorials to learn how to do the plumbing, cutting in and tiling, and install their IKEA kitchen doors and cabinets.

The house now looks unrecognisable - with painted walls, new tiles and an entirely transformed sitting room.

The IKEA kitchen which they installed themselves only cost them £5k - which nearly halved the price compared to installing it with an organisation like Howdens.

The couple were able to save money through lots of hacks - including getting family members to rewire the property.

“We paid for the materials at cost price and all the labour was free of charge. So that really saved a massive dent," Rochelle said.

“We've tried to think of ways that we can achieve what we want but with cheating the process.”

Rochelle used left-over paint and resources from the shop she works at to paint the kitchen and also bought half price paint from Homebase.

She says the key is saving on materials but making sure they are of good quality.

“You don't need to have incredible polished wood for your skirting board, it could just be a bit of MDF," Rochelle said.

“Angus is the sort of person that loves to buy gadgets and stuff. He loves to research tools.

“But he's very much like the epitome of like all the gear no idea. Sometimes I do have to intervene.

“We thought, as long as we've got a kitchen, and we can shower somewhere, we'll be alright."

The pair were able to move into the property in August last year and have been able to transform the flat into their dream home.

“Once we moved in, it was very much like, OK it all works now so this is fine,” Rochelle said.

One of her suggestions for anyone starting out on their own housing renovation is to turn to YouTube and “take one thing at a time”.

“You could probably build a house just by watching YouTube," Rochelle said.

"There’s so much information out there you just have to look for it.”

They saved £3k on installing the kitchen, including plumbing, £700 by sanding the floors themselves, £3k by getting their family to do the electrical rewire, £300 removing the old bathroom themselves and £900 decorating the kitchen and living room themselves.

They spent £5k on kitchen units and appliances, £3.8k on bathroom fittings, including tiling, £2.8k on double glazing the windows, £900 rewiring the materials, £80 on paint and £200 buying tools including an orbital sander.