On a shoestring First-time buyers unlock the potential of a 1930s Edinburgh flat
Two first-time buyers have unlocked the potential of their Edinburgh flat with a clever and inexpensive redesign
Having spent six years saving up for a deposit, Louise Mann was itching to buy her first home with partner Calum Todd. However, when her employment contract wasn’t renewed, their plans were thrown into disarray. ‘We’d seen a mortgage advisor and Calum had given up his rented flat to move into my parents’ home in Edinburgh with me for six months so we could boost our deposit,’ explains Louise. ’It was quite a stressful time but I soon found a new job working with students, which I love.’
As Louise’s previous job was in Glasgow, the couple had only been viewing flats close to the train station, to make commuting between the two cities easier. But her new job meant she could work in Edinburgh, so they extended their search area and found a two-bedroom ground-floor flat in a quiet cul-de-sac in Corstorphine, a 15-minute bus ride into the city centre and the same distance to the stunning Pentland Hills.
‘We knew it was a nice area as my grandparents had lived there,’ says Louise. ‘All the rooms in the flat are well proportioned, there are no stairs to climb, we have our own front door and there’s also a rear garden. And, as it’s a solid 1930s building, the sound insulation is really good as well, which is great.’
After getting the keys, the pair set to work. ‘Our parents advised us to do one room at a time otherwise we’d be living in chaos, but we didn’t listen and started ripping up everything, right down to the bedroom carpets!’ says Louise. As well as organising rewiring and replumbing, they reinstated the cornicing and picture rails, painted the stained wooden skirting boards and window surrounds, stripped and re-painted the doors and replaced all the light switches and plug sockets. Luckily the walls already had lining paper in place, so were ready to re-paint.
As first-time renovators, Louise admits the work was more time consuming than they’d anticipated and ended up costing more than their £10,000 budget. ‘There were marks where all the pictures had been and the ceiling needed four coats of white paint,’ she says. ‘Then the boiler died three weeks after we moved in, so as well as having no heating or hot water it meant the paint took ages to dry.’
Despite the upheaval, upgrading to a new combi boiler gave the couple an idea for changing
the layout of the property. ‘There were two big cupboards off the hall and living room, one housing the old water tank,’ she says. ‘We realised we could knock them through to enlarge the kitchen and make it a more sociable space.’
After hiring an architect they also decided to remove a large chimney breast in the kitchen, so needed a structural engineer and building regulations approval in case it affected their next door neighbour’s property. They also swapped the sink and washing machine around so the sink faced the window, and concealed their new boiler inside a wall cupboard.
Louise negotiated a good deal on the kitchen units from Howdens, which meant they could afford the £900 Karndean parquet flooring. ‘Someone once told me the saying: “Buy it cheap, buy it twice” and I’ve never forgotten it,’ she says. ‘It was worth spending more on the flooring as we know it won’t buckle if there’s ever a leak.’
To give them some much-needed storage, Calum’s dad, who installs home cinema systems, also created a built-in bench seat in the kitchen from wood-veneered MDF. ‘It’s ideal for hiding away the vacuum cleaner, mop and toilet rolls,’ she explains. ‘Essentially it’s like having two tall cupboards but horizontally.’
Last on the agenda was replacing the dated bathroom suite, although Louise still has a few reservations about the finished space. ‘I love the walk-in shower but I don’t love the unit under the sink,’ she says. ‘I wish I’d been more confident and gone for antique drawers instead.’
Once the building work was done, Louise, who has an MA in printed textiles, put the finishing touches to the interior. ‘When I was at art college I was inspired by 1950s architecture, so I particularly like mid-century design,’ she says. ‘I love the colour and richness of teak wood, so much of our furniture is from Gumtree and vintage shops.’
Although they plan to add built-in wardrobes, a sofa bed and desk in the second bedroom, the majority of the work has been completed within a year. ‘We bought at the top of our price range as this will be a long-term home,’ says Louise. ‘And even though we won’t be going on any foreign holidays for a few years, it’s all been worth it.’