In March 2020, I received the keys to my new home: a two-bedroom, 75m2 Victorian house that I bought for £1.
I purchased it as part of a “homes for a pound” project created to revive the Webster Triangle in Liverpool, UK.
But there was a catch: the home was in complete disrepair. To qualify, I had to be a first-time homeowner and be able to fix it up within a 12-month period. The council estimated that the renovations would cost £45,000
When I applied for the programme in 2015, I was a 28-year-old graduate student without much in the way of savings. I didn’t have all the funds I needed, but I submitted my application anyway.
I flipped the configuration of my house so I could maximise natural light. Now the bedrooms are on the ground floor, and the kitchen and living room is upstairs.
By the time I was off the waiting list, my financial situation had changed. I received an inheritance from my dad, who had passed away, and used the funds for the renovations.
Today, my house has been remodeled to maximise light and has made headlines in the U.K. for its novel use of space.
Turning my home upside-down
I knew I had my work cut out for me. The house had been abandoned for 15 years. The brickwork was crumbling, there was a leaky roof, a rat infestation, asbestos, and no power or heating system.
When I started the renovations, there were crumbling bricks everywhere I looked. I got rid of the old staircase and put a new one in. The new staircase was moved to the back of the house into 1/3 of what was the original kitchen. You can still see the shadow of the old staircase in the picture above.
Managing a full renovation isn’t for everyone. Having enough money is only the first hurdle; you need the right people to successfully see things through.
I realised that I could flip the house’s original layout to get more natural light into the space. So I moved the bedrooms to the ground floor, and the kitchen and living room to the upstairs. Then I added skylights to the roof.
I paid an architect £800 to draw up the blueprints. Many of the contractors I talked to were skeptical at my proposed reconfiguration of the house. Which meant they were not able to accurately quote me for the job. The cheapest quote I got was still £30,000 over my budget, which was the entirety of my money. But I was undeterred.
At the height of the pandemic, I quit my full time job as a project officer at a university and started to do the renovations on my own with limited tools.
Due to the lockdown restrictions, I was granted a 12-month extension. But I was also dealing with joblessness and a breakup. It was clear that I couldn’t do everything alone.
The community that helped me build my urban paradise
I started to blog about the renovation process in August 2021. When I got discouraged, looking back through my Instagram and taking stock of what I actually achieved renewed my vigor.
My nephew and I made great headway during the lockdown. We filled a couple of skips in 3 months. I’m so grateful for the help of my friends. I know I wouldn’t have been able to finish the project without them.
I wasn’t able to share how overwhelmed I felt to anyone, since most of the summer of 2021, I was living in a camper van in a local park in Liverpool.
The upstairs open kitchen and living area is one of my favorite places in the house. The natural light makes it the perfect spot for my plants to thrive.
As my story was gaining notoriety, I was able to drive readers to my Instagram account and build a community of followers. Some companies even reached out to offer me discounted products, like 50% off underfloor heating.
In May 2022, after 27 months of work, the house was signed over to me. I was the last homeowner to complete a renovation. I spent a total of £60,000 on labour and materials.
The old dining room is now my bedroom. I also replaced the windows with patio doors, giving me direct access into the garden.
The scheme meant that after I invested the money to refurbish, I now own the house. I pay £100 a month for council tax and £150 a month on utilities.
I’m glad I had the conviction and persistence to stick to my vision. I learned how to lay brick, tile, install underfloor heating and refinish floors, and it saved me a lot of money.
Managing a full renovation isn’t for everyone. Having enough money is only the first hurdle; you need the right people in order to successfully see things through.
The kitchen island, which I bought second hand, gives me plenty of space to cook and entertain.
Currently, my part-time jobs give me enough money to maintain the house. I work at a leisurely pace, and I’m able to use that money to slowly decorate my home and focus on important things in life.
I love using this living space to read and practice yoga
This house is now worth much more than what I paid in renovations. A 2-bedroom home on my street recently sold for £110,000. If I ever decided to leave, I’d only rent it out to people I know, I’ve invested too much in this place to ever sell it.
This space used to be the bathroom, the stairway landing doubles up as a utility, it is compact, but very useful and probably my favourite room because it evolved during the renovations. I spent a lot of time on site reimaging the space on the fly. I’m a risk taker and living in this house feels a lot like winning the bingo.
The final room in the house is now finished, completing my home I started building 4 years ago. I am proud and happily living in a community that was once destined for rubble.
Maxine Sharples is a yoga teacher, writer and project officer at Liverpool John Moores University. She has a master’s degree in International Business and Chinese, and has spent time living and working abroad in Africa and Asia. She enjoys blogging about her income streams, hiking, and now DIY design projects. Follow her on Instagram @homesforapound.
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