LONDON CALLING Finding the right location and using professionals resulted in a balanced home for one young family
Completely transforming a bland townhouse for just £10,000 has been a steep learning curve for Jo Lemos and Chris Gilheaney. The couple, who plan to marry this September in Portugal, have perfected the art of being crafty and frugal to add value and move up the property ladder. With most of their money swallowed up buying their threebedroom property in Prestwich, Manchester, the pair taught themselves how to fit the bathroom and kitchen by watching YouTube videos. They shopped around for secondhand bargains and sold their old kitchen for £500 on Facebook. ‘The only thing we threw out was the old bathroom tiles, as no one wanted them,’ says Jo. ‘And we paid for the new bathroom by renting out our spare bedroom on Airbnb.’
Having previously lived in a similar ‘upside down’ house in nearby Salford, the pair hoped their £200,000 budget would stretch to a 1950s semi or Victorian terrace. After several scouting missions, they kept returning to Prestwich because it felt like a vibrant area, with bars and restaurants on the doorstep.
However, after eight viewings, they were feeling despondent. ‘Everything we saw either needed a lot of work or we were outbid,’ admits Chris. ‘So we took a punt on this place between viewings.’
Built in 2017, the house has a rear entrance with guest bedroom and bathroom off the hall at ground level; a master bedroom, box room and bathroom on the middle floor; and an open-plan living room/kitchen-diner at the top of the house.
‘We were looking for period features and sash windows, but ended up with the complete opposite,’ says Jo. ‘It was an empty white box with no furniture, as it had been rented out, which made it feel completely soulless.’
Chris continues: ‘As we had our hearts set on a particular type of house, it was hard to get excited about this one, but we came away thinking it was a solid choice, in a central location, that we could really put our own stamp on. As soon as we left, we started drawing up plans in our heads to make it better.’
Within a week of getting the keys in May 2018, the kitchen had already been ripped out as the central island encroached too much on the living space. ‘There was just one row of units by the window, so not enough cupboards or worktop space, and the magnolia gloss units and granite-effect surfaces weren’t to our taste either,’ says Chris. ‘It meant taking up the flooring and relaying it, but it has totally transformed the space.’
The new L-shaped matt black kitchen with birch-effect worktops is finished off beautifully with 10cm square matt white tiles. ‘I went to a lot of suppliers to find the exact ones we wanted, as they reminded me of a 1960s kitchen,’ says Jo. ‘The only thing I would prefer is a bigger dishwasher and bigger sink.’
Since then, the couple have gradually worked their way around the house, redecorating the living room and bedrooms while they saved up to replace the bathroom on the middle floor. ‘We’ve mainly stuck to a monochrome palette, with lots of splashes of greenery and a few small pops of colour,’ says Jo, who is passionate about plants and plans to start a business selling them. ‘I don’t want to
‘It’s mainly a monochrome palette, with lots of plants and a few pops of colour’
put myself into a box as such, but I like a mixture of old and new and I love vintage revivals.’ Often they’ll collate pictures on
Instagram to produce an online moodboard. ‘Jo’s the ideas guy and I’m the one who makes things happen, but we always design everything together,’ says Chris.
To link the spaces, Jo picked a dark green paint for the bottom part of the hall and stair walls. It runs across all three floors and finishes in the living room. ‘I wanted the whole house to feel connected and, with a dog, it’s also practical and hardwearing,’ he explains. There’s also a decked rooftop terrace off the living space, which is perfect for entertaining and barbecues. ‘We just need an outdoor rug, more plants and a firepit to finish things off,’ Jo adds.
The only room where their vision didn’t quite work first time around is the main bedroom. ‘We painted it green, but it still felt like a box - just a green box instead,’ says Jo. Their solution was to add interest with MDF panelling on the walls. ‘Having the white section above gives the illusion of more height and makes the room feel bigger, while the new cornicing is really transformative, too,’ says Chris. As it’s a compact double bedroom, a wardrobe would have made the space feel too enclosed, so the couple use the next-door box room as a dressing room instead.
The biggest bedroom is on the ground floor and has French doors to a small patio area. ‘A lot of the neighbours use this room as their main bedroom, but we’d be up and down the stairs all the time and the kettle would be too far away,’ laughs Chris.
Although they’re generally on the same page when it comes to design, Chris admits the couple have the occasional lovers’ tiff over paint colours. ‘Jo won with the dark green stripe and I won with the yellow stripe in the guest bedroom,’ he says.
Luckily, the ground-floor bedroom has been a hit on Airbnb, enabling the pair to fund their new bathroom. After ripping out the basic developer’s suite, which had no shower, they’ve spent just £2,000 on a new suite with black fittings. As the layout didn’t change, they were able to fit it themselves.
‘I really wanted the bathroom and kitchen to match, so we used the same grid-like square tiles across the walls and floor,’ says Jo. ‘To contrast, we wanted round and curved fixtures and fittings for the basin, toilet and showerhead, for example, to soften things.’ Jo has even managed to sneak in a band of plywood sealed with yacht varnish around the top of the bathroom, which compensates for not getting his dream plywood kitchen. ‘I’m really proud of this room, as we tackled everything ourselves,’ adds Chris.
As the pair have enjoyed cutting their teeth on this house, next time they’d like a semi-detached house with potential to extend. However, they’re keen to stay in Prestwich. ‘We go into the city less these days, as we have everything on our doorstep, and some of our friends are thinking of moving here too,’ says Chris. ‘It’s such a warm, friendly place and there’s even an artisan food festival on our cul-de-sac a few times a year.’
For anyone else with big ideas but limited funds, Chris has the following advice: ‘Don’t be afraid to give it a go, as you really can get a designer look on a small budget if you set your mind to it.’
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