A couple in their twenties have revealed how they’re transforming their ‘rundown’ 1950s detached home into a modern oasis and claim it’s better than a newbuild.
Laura Hodson, 23, and her partner Aaron Davies, 25, bought their three-bedroom home in Wrexham for £250,000,
After spending £11,000 on renovations, Aaron says transforming the ‘dated’ house has worked out better than buying brand new.
So far they have removed four structural walls, got rid of the chimney, added in bifolding doors and have installed new plumbing and electrics.
‘The original owner bought the house when it was built in the 1950s and lived there until she was 101,’ Aaron told the Daily Mail.
‘We knew given the fact that she’d been on her own for 30 years it was obviously very dated and it definitely needed a full renovation.’
The couple have been renovating the property on the weekends and after work alongside the help of their parents and grandparents, who have experience in construction.
Laura Hodson, 23, and her partner Aaron Davies, 25, bought their three-bedroom home in Wrexham for £250,000
After spending £11,000 on the most strenuous renovations, Aaron says transforming the ‘dated’ house has worked out better than buying brand new
So far they have removed four structural walls, got rid of an entire chimney and added in bifolding doors (pictured)
Aaron added: ‘The biggest challenge has been converting the traditional style into the modern standard of living, which is open plan.
‘Because it was built in the 50s it’s all solid construction so everything has to have steel support because it’s all solid brick.
‘The chimney had to be taken out all the way through the roof.
‘We’ve been flying, we got the keys middle of October, and within six weeks the walls were down.
‘We both work full time, so it’s a case of weekends and evenings and we’re really really lucky that we’ve got a great network around us of family and friends.’
One of the biggest benefits of transforming a 1950s house is the hidden details that have been preserved over time.
For Laura and Aaron, it was the solid oak flooring they found hidden beneath the carpet.
‘It’s a bit like an onion, you’re unpeeling the layers,’ Aaron explained.
Laura and Aaron found gorgeous solid oak flooring they found hidden beneath the carpet (pictured)
The couple have been renovating the property on the weekends and after work alongside the help of their parents and grandparents
One of the challenges with renovating a 1950s property is that it’s all built from solid brick
‘There were some interesting carpet choices in the building and then as you pull it back you see this beautiful solid oak flooring, which is amazing.’
The couple love the flooring so much they plan on restoring and extending it into the kitchen.
To source the tiles they contacted a reclaimed timber company who were able to find nearly identical flooring from a stately home in Hungary.
They were shipped over and will be used to patch up any damage.
‘We’re definitely finding funny things here and there,’ Aaron said.
‘Just last week when we were pulling up the kitchen floor we found an old exterior door that went to the outside, the floor went down two inches and had been boarded over.
‘We also found a receipt for some chairs in the floorboards that dated back to 1954.’
Aaron said his biggest takeaway so far is that you can achieve a lot on a budget.
The property is a 1950s detached home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms
Within six weeks of picking up the keys all the walls in the property were knocked down
Pictured: The original 1950s style kitchen inside the home in Wreckham
He said: ‘You can get a lot done for not a lot of money. The stuff that I’ve seen online doesn’t seem right.
‘Things seem to be way overpriced for the amount that you can get done.
‘It seems when you read things online it’s often scare tactics but when you come to do it, it’s not as scary.
‘If you plan well, you’ve got the contingency there that you know roughly what it’s going to cost then it’s not awful.’
