Finding her own way

After splitting from her partner, Pippa Nixon has gone to town re-decorating the home they shared in Urmston and has found her own style in the process

- Karen Wilson

Pippa Nixon bought this three bedroom Victorian terrace in Urmston with her former partner in 2016. She has transformed it from a tired and dated former rental property into a stylish and contemporary living space.

‘We couldn’t afford to buy in Altrincham or Sale,’ said Pippa, who had previously been renting in Manchester city centre. ‘So when a friend told us Urmston was the next up-and-coming area, we decided to view this three bedroom Victorian terraced house. It had been rented out for eight years, the kitchen was manky and every wall and ceiling was wallpapered, but I loved the exposed brick, high ceilings and coving.

‘We decided to think about it on holiday, but it was under offer when we returned. Luckily it came back on the market so we moved quickly and offered the full asking price.’

The house needed extensive work, so they spent ten weeks living with Pippa’s mum while they stripped everything out.

‘With an old house every job is bigger than anticipated,’ the 27-year-old added. ‘The more stuff we pulled out, the worse it got. It needed new electrics, a full replaster and a new kitchen before we could move in, which included replacing rotten joists and moving a doorway.’

When Pippa and her partner split up, she lived with her mum while she saved the money to complete the refurbishment and her dad rented the house, which stands on a quiet cul-de-sac a few minutes walk from the centre of Urmston . When she moved back just over a year ago, she had a new job in PR and had found a lodger.