A couple have carried out an incredible transformation on a mouldy and overgrown property, and it’s now completely unrecognisable from its former self.
And it’s gone up an impressive £191,500 in value.
Husband and wife, Jonathan and Katie O’Neill, bought a run-down three-bed terraced house in Timperley, Trafford for £218,500 after it had been sat stagnant on the market for more than six months, attracting no interest from buyers.
After seeing its potential, the DIY-savvy duo took the house back to brick and carried out an extensive renovation, transforming every single room and also adding in an extension. Fast forward almost 18 months, the pair are now living in their beautiful family home with their baby boy Archie.
Katie, 28, spoke to the Manchester Evening News as part of our Where I Live series. Each week we chat to a different homeowner in Greater Manchester to hear about their buying and renovation journey, whilst taking a look inside.
The couple, who got married two years ago, first got on the property ladder during the third covid lockdown in 2021. They lived with Katie’s parents for a year to enable them to save for a deposit, which she acknowledges made them ‘very fortunate’.
The house was run-down and mouldy when the couple bought it
(Image: Katie O’Neill)
Katie, who is from Cheadle Hulme, told the M.E.N: “Like many first-time buyers, we had a ridiculously small budget. There weren’t many houses on the market because it was so uncertain, and the houses that were available were ridiculously overpriced.”
Despite the unpreceded market, Katie eventually came across a bargain – but her husband wasn’t best pleased. “I ended up booking a viewing for one house without telling Jono because the pictures on Rightmove were horrible, it was super ugly.
“I think we were near desperation and at the point where we wanted to get engaged, married and have a baby and we didn’t want to do all of that whilst still living at my parents. I saw this house which was within the low range of our budget. I told him on the day we were going and he had no choice. We went and I loved it, not from what it was but from what I thought it could be.”
The couple have completely transformed their home
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The couple bought the property, which was in Woodley, Stockport for £151,000. After just under a year of renovating it, and another year living there, they then sold it for £260,000 – with the added value giving them a great start on the property ladder.
“We made a lot of money on our first house and we learnt loads whilst doing it up. But it wasn’t in an area that we liked, so it was the right house for us but just the wrong place,” Katie explained. “Our mortgage term then was coming to an end, and we knew we didn’t want to re-mortgage at that property.”
Katie and Jonathan then decided it was time to start looking for their second home. Just like their first house, they wanted a renovation project that they could really get their teeth into.
The living room before renovating
(Image: Katie O’Neill)
Speaking about her requirements for their next house, the mum-of-one explained: “I would always go for something that needed work. I think if you’re buying a home that’s already finished, you’re then paying for that finish. But when we know that we can do it ourselves, that doesn’t really make sense for us.
“We knew we didn’t want to spend more than what we’d sold our last house for. Normally people upsize but for us it’s always a financial decision. We wanted somewhere in a more convenient area nearer to work and our family and friends. Ideally we also wanted to buy something that was vacant, as it tends to help things go a little bit faster and sometimes they let you in earlier to do work.”
The open-plan living area
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
After viewing four of five houses, Katie then came across a terraced house in Timperley that had been sat on the market for more than six months. “On Rightmove, I always filter it to the oldest property first because then you’ve got more of a chance of getting it if it’s been sitting there for ages. It was just wasn’t selling,” she said.
“We decided to go view it and when we walked in for the first time, I could just see the potential of what it could be in the end. But at this point it was just horrendous. You actually couldn’t even see the house from the road because it was so overgrown, and because it had been vacant for so long, it was just getting mouldier.”
The house was owned by the housing association, and as Katie explained: “It’s unusual because normally the housing association take them back, they don’t sell them privately, but because it was in such a state of disrepair, I think it probably made more sense to them to offload it because they would have had to spend a good amount of money on it.”
The dining area
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
This put the pair in a very good situation to be able to come in with a lower offer. “The estate agent who showed us it actually said they’re desperate to get rid of it, so I would just throw an offer in, which again, normally they don’t do because they want as much commission as possible,” Katie said.
“It was on the market for £260,000 and we managed to get it for £218,500 in the end, so we paid less for it than what we sold our last house for, which was really beneficial for us.”
Katie and Jonathan got the keys to their new home on August 11, 2023, and started work on it that same day. “We started outside, which seems a bit backwards but when you opened the front door, the plants fell into the hallway. We could barely even access the property, so had to chop it all down,” Katie said.
One of the bedrooms
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“Straight away the house was screaming for an extension. It had a very simple layout, there was no dining room, utility or downstairs loo. We were a bit nervous because we hadn’t done one before, but my dad built the house I grew up in and they’ve renovated quite a few properties.”
Aside from some help from their family and friends, the pair did the majority of their house DIY. “We’ve definitely done more on this house than we did on the last house, I just think confidence is a massive thing,” said Katie.
“Every single wall has been re-plastered and painted. We added a single storey lean-to extension out the back with seven metre sliding doors, and then put a utility room and a downstairs toilet in. It’s got a brand new kitchen and a bathroom which was originally a separate toilet and bathroom, but we knocked the wall down. We’ve also done our own panelling.”
The nursery
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
In terms of their interior style, Katie said she has kept it quite neutral, as this won’t be there forever home. “Our interior is very white but it’s bright and modern. We had in the back of our mind about selling it, but I don’t want to live in a house with no personality so I love having pictures on the walls.”
During the renovation, Katie found out she was pregnant with their first child. “We’re all finished now, which was really helpful because our baby came seven weeks early. We moved into the house and then the baby came five days later.”
Giving us a tour of their home, Katie described: “The right side of the house is now all open plan in a big U shape, with the kitchen running through into the extension. There is a big dining room area and in the corner we’ve got little snug seating area. Down the left side of the house is a long lounge with a chimney breast in the middle.
The bathroom before
(Image: Katie O’Neill)
“Upstairs to the left, we’ve got our master bedroom which is dual aspect, the bathroom which we’ve now combined, our baby’s nursery at the front and then the back is the guest bedroom.”
Katie said: “It’s an amazing feeling now it’s all done. We often remind ourselves of what we have done to get here, and obviously having our baby here makes it even more special.”
The couple have recently had their home valued at £410,000 – which is £191,500 more than the amount they paid for it. They spent around £60,000 on the renovation in total.
The bathroom now
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Speaking about their future plans, Katie explained: “Our plan is every two or three years, we’ll sell up and buy a new property.. Because we’ve had Archie now, I would like to stay here for another two years which will make it three years.
“Jono and I would both ideally like to work part time, around three days a week, so that we can have loads of time at home with Archie, and have a couple of properties as well as doing UGC on our Instagram as well. We’re working hard now to retire early.”
The couple have done wooden panelling throughout their home
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
You can follow the couple’s home-buying and renovation journey on their home Instagram account @kandjproperties.