'DIY was our money-saver'

Natasha Jackson drew on practical skills to revitalise her home, giving it a new, easy-living layout and a timeless, budget-friendly makeover

- ANNABELLE GRUNDY

The house was in such a state when my husband Gary and I viewed it that I don't think anyone else was interested!' says Natasha. 'Inside, everything was grubby and worn, and the decor was awful - turquoise kitchen walls and cupboards, an old-fashioned gas fire in the living room, and hideous vinyl wallpapers everywhere.

The layout was strange too, as the living room was only accessible from the dining room, and you had to walk through the second bedroom in order to reach the bathroom. It was going to be a challenge, but the potential was there. The amount of work that needed to be done must have put most people off, but Gary and I were looking for a doer-upper where we could make our mark.

Make do and mend

Once in, we scrubbed the whole house and painted over the worst of the wallpaper to make it liveable, but it was freezing cold, as there was no insulation. We had a wood burner fitted in the dining room as soon as possible, but we couldn't do more because we were saving for the renovation. It was two years before we could afford to start major work, but we made do, and I spent the time saving, planning and researching. Although it was a long wait, it worked for me. I like to think things over carefully and then, hopefully, make the right choices.

Neither of us had much renovation experience but we were determined to do whatever we could ourselves. Gary was already quite handy, as he builds sets for photography at work, but we used online videos to pick up information and learn how to do things like tiling. It definitely wasn't the easy option, but it made our budget go much further.

Back to basics