The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
The house revamp on a bucket list
Emma Kingaby has always loved a challenge, from travelling round Africa solo to renovating her own home.
The trainee interior designer has achieved both ambitions and 45 Grattan Place is now on the market after three years of blood, sweat and tears.
The saying is no cliche for Emma, 30, who was determined to revamp the two bedroom flat in Fraserburgh herself.
She ran into endless problems from flooding in the kitchen to discovering layer upon layer of wallpaper.
The flat sat empty for a year before Emma took the plunge and moved in, with a mood board of ideas and a long list of renovations needed.
She now hopes her determination will encourage other women to tackle DIY and create their own homes from scratch.
Tasteful decoration and sympathetic renovation has turned number 45 into a stunning modern pad where you’ll be proud to entertain guests.
It’s hard to believe that it was once old fashioned, damp, and in desperate need of some TLC.
“Buying my own place and doing it up was on my bucket list, I love challenges but there were so many moments when I felt like I had taken on too much,” said Emma.
“Leaving will be really emotional because I’ve poured all my energy into the project for three years.
“I even ended up getting ill because I was doing so much but I’d do it all again.
“You can imagine what it was like after sitting empty for months, any problems had simply been covered up by layer upon layer of wallpaper.”
Emma discovered a beautiful Victorian cast iron fireplace which had been boarded up, and stripped off wooden panelling in the kitchen only to find MDF underneath.
The low point came when she was left with just four brick walls in the kitchen which flooded during renovations.
“That was pretty tough because I was living there and doing all the work, in the end I had no choice but to rip the entire kitchen out and start again,” she said.
It now boasts high gloss white units and modern appliances alongside a lovely feature wall.
The lounge has a beautiful high ceiling and a large bay window, and there’s also a dining room for more formal get togethers.
Both bedrooms are of a good size and the bathroom contains a walk-in shower.
“When I look back I can’t really believe that I did everything, my brother is a joiner so that was pretty handy and I roped in my friends whenever I could,” said Emma.
“I would honestly recommend doing your own home, I’m so proud to have ticked it off the list.”
Offers should be made in the region of more than £125,000.