Alongside her mum and sister, Georgina Ryan, 33, from Leicestershire, has renovated nine houses!
Growing up, my dad was always doing work on the house.
There’s an old picture of my sister Katie when she was about five with a hard hat on. We’ve always grown up around DIY and renovations.
After our grandmother sadly died, my mum Gill used her inheritance to buy properties.
With the help of builders, she would renovate them and rent them out.
Soon, me and Katie got involved.
At first, we did more decorating, but slowly we started teaching ourselves.
Katie went on a women in construction course and she learnt a lot while she was there.
It’s safe to say, she took a particular joy in knocking walls down.
In the past 15 years, we have worked on nine houses together.
Katie prefers the construction side of things and then I take on the final touches.
I particularly love putting together IKEA flatpacks and kitchens.
They’re structured and logical – I find it therapeutic.
We’ve taught ourselves so much over the years – albeit there have been a few accidents.
Katie once fell through a ceiling!
However, it’s meant I’ve been able to start my own pyjama business, Tessie, on the side.
I wouldn’t have been able to do that if we hadn’t started doing up and renting houses.
I think a lot of women find it a little daunting because of the stereotypes in society.
Most builders are men and it’s historically a man’s world. But I think that is changing.
If you want to do something, there are so many tools online that you can use and don’t be afraid to ask stores for help if you need it.
If you want to tile, go into a shop and ask a store assistant for some advice on doing so.
Sometimes, there will be little errors, but that adds character.
The most important thing is the prep.
Measure everything correctly and get everything together.
You’ll very quickly find that the actual work is the easy bit.
There’s nothing to be afraid of and let’s be honest, it’s very good therapy to knock a wall down!
Start small and you’ll work your way around it.
You can do it.