How an £8,000 makeover turned a dated cottage in Sheffield into des res

Beth Hollins stuck to a strict budget of just £8,000 to renovate her dated cottage in Sheffield – with a little help from her family. Heather Dixon reports. Pictures by Dave Burton.Nurse Beth Hollins felt as though she was stepping back in time when she first viewed her terrace cottage in Sheffield. The previous owner had lived there for 88 years and the décor was stuck in a 1970s time warp.“He had lived frugally with very basic fittings in the bathroom, just a sink in the kitchen, hardly any heating and lino covered floors,” says Beth.However, it was the right price for Beth’s budget and she knew she could bring it up to date with more than a little help from her parents.

“I moved in straight away which wasn’t easy,” says Beth. “For three months I didn’t have a kitchen or bathroom – just a tap and a toilet – so I used the showers at university, where I was studying for my masters, to freshen up.”Trying to juggle work, studying and renovating was a huge challenge and there were many times when Beth wondered whether she had done the right thing in buying the house.“There were definitely low points,” she says. “I was working on the house on my own for a lot of the time. It was very slow progress and I did get tired of living in the house with all the dust – it gets absolutely everywhere.”But there were many rewards along the way. Beth’s mum and dad not only helped with the renovation, her dad also re-glazed the sash windows while her brother, a joiner, fitted new woodwork. After putting in heating and new wiring Beth turned her attention to the floors and discovered the original floorboards underneath the lino.

“That saved me a fortune because I could sand them down and leave them as they were,” she says. “When I started decorating I did the sitting room and my bedroom first so I had a couple of rooms to escape to. Even though the dust still found its way in. It was a bit scary up a ladder painting the landing, but I glued paint brushes to a broom handle to reach the awkward bits.”

Ikea bedding brightens up a bed found on Gumtree and picks out the colours of the wall tapestry, from Urban Outfitters. A bedside lamp from Homesense stands on a wooden crate which Beth fitted with a shelf to create a no-cost bedside cabinet.

By the time Beth had painted the rooms she had very little money left for furniture. Fortunately, several large pieces came with the house, leaving Beth with enough to search for bargains.“This is the first house I’ve done up so everything was a learning curve and I’ve certainly made lots of mistakes,” she says. “The family has always been DIY focussed so it was definitely in the blood, but the best bit has been adding all the finishing touches.”

Beth saved a fortune by shopping around for second hand furniture, including the dining table and chairs which cost just £30 and mixing budget-buy cushions with ones she made herself.“I was lucky enough to inherit some pieces of furniture with the house, which I could never have afforded to buy new,” she says. “If there is anything I would change it would be to have more storage space in the kitchen.”

Beth's house in Sheffield is now a des res

Beth isn’t afraid to use dark, bold colours. “I always wanted a dark colour in the sitting room to make it feel cosy, but then I added splashes of bright colours in the wall hanging and smaller accessories. Some of the colours are a nod to the history of the house. The green in the dining room is very similar to one of the wall colours that was here when I bought it.”

She has also turned to her creative skills when money has been too tight to buy anything new. “I love making things. I enjoy sewing and knitting, anything craft based and that can save you a lot of money. It’s also a lovely way to unwind after working shifts in A&E there’s nothing better than cosying up by the fire and getting absorbed in something creative.”Despite the ups and downs, Beth believes renovating her first home has given her the bug to do it again.“It was certainly worth the effort,” she says. “When I think back to how it was and what it’s like now, it’s really satisfying, and it’s made me realise that you don’t have to spend a fortune to do it.”

Beth's Good Ideas

Beth bought a basic metal lampshade frame and fitted her own design of bamboo straws threaded with coloured cardboard discs to create an individual dining room pendant lampshade.Double up in smaller rooms to make the most of limited space. A second hand sofa bed in the dining room expands into a single bed. Beth made a new covered seat and added cushions – some of them made herself – to create a comfortable sofa for everyday use.Open shelves in the kitchen make the room look more spacious while providing easy-access storage space. Beth added Shaker style peg hooks underneath for hanging pans and chopping boards.Instead of hanging one big picture on a wall, create your own personal montage of smaller frames grouped together.