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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />When they first moved in, the flat was in "disarray" with peeling wallpaper, mould on the walls and a musty carpet. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />They are still in the process of doing it up, but they've already added £20k to the price tag of the property.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />“I never thought I would own a property... I grew up in South London and always lived in Housing Association property.<br /><br />“My parents never owned a property so it didn’t feel like part of life. It felt like a luxury to have that.<br /><br />“I just feel overwhelming contentment and peace that we are settled and this is our actual space.<br /><br />"Blood, sweat and tears have gone into the floorboards and the walls, we are now part of the flat," she said. <br /><br />Rochelle said that the kitchen had uneaten cornflakes behind the dishwasher and old 1970s cabinets.<br /><br />“Nothing could be salvaged from it," Rochelle said. “There were stains, rust, crumbling tiles.”<br /><br />The couple have spent the last year renovating the property around their full time jobs, and at the weekends.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The house now looks unrecognisable - with painted walls, new tiles and an entirely transformed sitting room.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />The couple were able to save money through lots of hacks - including getting family members to rewire the property. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />“We've tried to think of ways that we can achieve what we want but with cheating the process.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br />She says the key is saving on materials but making sure they are of good quality.<br /><br />“You don't need to have incredible polished wood for your skirting board, it could just be a bit of MDF," Rochelle said. <br /><br />“Angus is the sort of person that loves to buy gadgets and stuff. He loves to research tools. <br /><br />“But he's very much like the epitome of like all the gear no idea. Sometimes I do have to intervene.<br /><br />“We thought, as long as we've got a kitchen, and we can shower somewhere, we'll be alright."<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“Once we moved in, it was very much like, OK it all works now so this is fine,” Rochelle said. <br /><br />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”. <br /><br />“You could probably build a house just by watching YouTube," Rochelle said.<br /><br />"There’s so much information out there you just have to look for it.”<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.
