Family transforms ‘blank canvas’ new build house into stylish home on £25,000 budget – adding £150,000 to property value

A family has transformed their “blank canvas” new build house into a stylish home – adding £150,000 to the property value.

Lisa Haddon, 32, and husband Mark, 47, bought their home in Milton Keynes in April 2017 for £450,000.

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom property was a new build and ready for the family to move in, but they wanted to put their stamp on the home by remodelling rooms including the kitchen and utility area.

They lived in the home as it came for four years while they raised their children Harper, six, and Oliver, four.

In 2021, they decided to finally transform the property into their dream home and hired builders to create an open-plan kitchen-diner, knocking down a wall in the utility room and creating a brand new kitchen space.

Originally, the kitchen was fitted with bland sage cabinets and wooden worktops which didn’t suit their style.

After knocking down the wall to create a larger space with bifold doors, they added a large central island and chic black cabinetry to create a modern, trendy look.

Elsewhere in the home, they fitted new flooring, bifold doors, and added their stamp by decorating the rooms to their taste.

It took just 10 weeks to transform the property, and the Haddon’s were careful to keep the project as budget-friendly as possible, saving money by completing some of the work themselves.

Lisa said: “We hired builders for the structural work as we needed lintels putting in, an electrician and a plumber, everything else my husband did.

“I always get my hands dirty and get stuck in too, but this time I helped a lot with the kitchen fitting.

“I put some cupboard doors on and handles, I put together the pull-out larder shelves and did the painting.”

“The hardest part [of the renovation] was having no kitchen for a week – no oven, no hob, no sink, no worktops, and still having to feed the kids and do washing daily was stressful to say the least.”

In total, they spent £25,000 – including £9,000 on the kitchen, which was purchased from Howdens.

Thanks to their efforts, the property value has now increased to £600,000.

Lisa said: “Our main goal was to make the kitchen and open-plan sociable space, and to make the house a home – and I love the finished look.”

The couple are now planning to turn their attention to transforming the playroom into an office, and they are also hoping to add a front porch for more storage, as well as convert the loft into a fifth bedroom.

COST BREAKDOWN:
Kitchen – £9,000
Worktops – £3,500
Builders, electricians and plumbers and materials – £5,000
Bifold doors – £3,000
Flooring – £2,000
Décor – £2,500
Total: £25,000