Impressive budget renovations

With imagination, patience and a watchful eye over finances, these homeowners have transformed their properties into welcoming homes on modest budgets

- AMY REEVES

Hard graft

Taking only one Saturday offin nine months, Tom Bendell and Calista Hutchinson completed the renovation of their first home, a partially converted grain store. Using a software app to design a reconfiguration of the space, the couple knocked through from the kitchen to the dining and utility rooms to create an open-plan space that would fit an island, uncovering original beams along the way. Although Tom and Calista went over budget (taking the total up to £43,000), this included new furnishings and a high-quality kitchen. The result is a warm, welcoming home that did not break the bank.

A daring design