A woman has revealed how she and her husband transformed grandparents' farmhouse into dream home – claiming they've added £350,000 to the property value.

Katherine Sanders and her husband, Joe, both 35 and from Rutland, have spent years doing up the detached, four-bedroom, four-bathroom property, which they purchased for £350,000 in May 2015.

The house, which was last renovated in the late 80s, was originally a barn that belonged to Joe's grandparents.

The duo are thrilled with the result, having spent just over £101,500 on the transformation in total and now live in the home with their three children; Eden, seven, Jasper, five and Ottilie, two months.

"The house has been in my husband's family since 1956 and when his grandparents decided to sell it, we knew we wanted to carry the home into our family," Katherine, a teacher, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

"It was already very beautiful with lots of original features and touches that we wanted to preserve to keep the memory alive, while also turning into a timeless home.

"We needed it to be practical for us, as his grandparents were originally farmers, so we got stuck in and made this into a modern farmhouse that we've always dreamed of."

They started with tackling the kitchen and turned the space into a "hub" for family time.

She said: "It was really important to create a room that the children could eat and play in while I cooked, as I love spending as much time with them as possible, so I designed a room big enough for everyone.

"I knew I wanted an island with seating in the design, as I had visions of the children doing their homework there and I could help them while I made dinner, so I'm pleased I went for it – it's the hub of our home.

"My favourite features are the hot water tap and the dresser unit that hides the microwave and toaster."

Next, they moved onto the living room and decided to use simple changes to spruce up the space and make it modern, with a touch of the original features and secondhand items.

She said: "The fireplace is original to the barn and although it wouldn't be my first choice in design, it's a piece of my husband's family history that we intend to keep."

In the hallway, they placed new flooring and to give the main bathroom a "new lease of life" they fitted a bath and shower combination unit, along with painting the vanity in Farrow and Ball French Grey, the same shade as the downstairs toilet.

Once the extension was finished, they decided to turn the old kitchen into a guest suite with an adjoining ensuite.

Next, they moved onto the main bedroom and used DIY panelling from B&Q, costing £100, to spruce up the walls, before working on the utility room.

Katherine said: "This was a bonus room and we very nearly didn't build it, but it's fantastic for the heaps of washing that comes with having a family and a dog.

"My favourite feature is the stacked washer and dryer behind the hidden cupboard doors and I wanted sheet vinyl in here to make it easy to clean, so fitted this myself.

"The door was actually saved from the old kitchen as a stable door as a nod to the house's past."

Now, seven years later, they've nearly completed their dream family home and in a recent valuation, they were told they've added up to £350,000 to their property.

While they completed the majority of the work themselves, Katherine's dad, a self-proclaimed DIY aficionado, was on call for a helping hand – and for quality control.

She said: "I've watched and learned from him growing up and I really enjoy the challenge of working out how to do something new – and there's also YouTube to fall back on.

"I first started doing DIY when we bought our first home and I started with simple painting and wallpapering, now moving onto all of this!

"I think my favourite room is the downstairs toilet, as while it's a tiny space, I've managed to make a sometimes forgotten room functional and beautiful.

"I wish we had changed the windows at the same time, as we only did the essentials when extending, but this would have saved us so much money."

Now, they've shared the renovation journey online in a bid to give interior inspiration.

Her advice? Get stuck in and always make sure to research for the best deals.

Katherine added: "Use the internet and 'how to' videos and learn how to do things yourself, even painting can save hundreds of pounds.

"Contact companies directly to see when their next sale is on and if they have any discount codes, I've saved loads this way.

"Charity shops are fantastic places to look for furnties and unique home accessories and a lot of our furniture is from them.

"Lastly, things always cost more than you think, so make sure to keep money back for unforeseen expenses."

ENDS

COST BREAKDOWN:

Kitchen – £15,000

Extension – £60,000

Utility room – £12,000

Living room – £1,000

Downstairs toilet – £1,500

Downstairs en-suite – £3,000

Hallway – £2,000

Main bathroom – £5,000

All bedrooms (incl main and kids') – £2,000

Total: £101,500