A couple have stunningly transformed a mouldy and overgrown three-bed terraced house into an unrecognisable gem, boasting an increased value by a whopping £191,500.
The once-neglected property had languished on the market for over six months without any buyer interest until Jonathan and Katie O’Neill purchased it for £218,500. Using their DIY skills, they stripped the house back to brick, renovated each room meticulously, and even built an extension. Now, 18 months later, they reside there with their baby boy Archie.
Katie, at the age of 28, discussed her home’s incredible journey with the Manchester Evening News for their ‘Where I Live’ series, which delves into homeowners’ stories across Greater Manchester. The duo, who wed two years prior, first entered the housing scene amidst the third covid lockdown in 2021.
Staying with Katie’s parents for a year substantially aided their savings for the deposit, positioning them as ‘very fortunate,’ Katie told the Manchester Evening News.
She said: “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.”
The couple have completely transformed their home
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Katie stumbled upon a real estate steal amidst the turbulent market. Her other half was less than impressed when she said, “I ended up booking a viewing for one house without telling Jono because the pictures on Rightmove were horrible, it was super ugly.”
She elaborated on their urgency:, “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.”
Katie and her partner purchased the Stockport property for £151,000 and, after renovating for nearly a year and living there for another, they sold it for a profitable £260,000.
The bathroom before
(Image: Katie O’Neill)
“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 recounted. With their initial mortgage term ending and unwilling to remortgage the same property, Katie and Jonathan began hunting for their next home, eager for another renovation challenge.
Discussing her family’s next home, the mum-of-one shared: “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.”
She went on to say, “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 living room before renovating
(Image: Katie O’Neill)
After evaluating four or five properties, Katie found a terraced house in Timperley that hadn’t sold for over 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 just wasn’t selling,” she recounted.
Visiting the property, she immediately recognised its potential despite its current poor state: “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 property was owned by a 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 bathroom now
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
This allowed the couple to make 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.
The house was initially listed for £260,000, but they managed to secure it for £218,500. Katie and Jonathan received the keys to their new home on August 11, 2023, and began renovations immediately.
“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. It was clear that the house needed an extension, given its simple layout and lack of a dining room, utility, or downstairs toilet.
Although they were nervous about undertaking such a project, Katie’s father had experience with building and renovating properties. Katie, alongside her partner, has done the lion’s share of their house renovations by themselves, with some assistance from loved ones.
The open-plan living area
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“We’ve definitely done more on this house than we did on the last house, I just think confidence is a massive thing,” Katie shared. She detailed the extensive work: “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.”
With regard to their decor choices, Katie kept things simple with an eye on the future.
“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.”
An unexpected development occurred amidst the renovation: Katie found she was expecting. “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.”
Showing off their abode, Katie described its layout: “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.”
One of the bedrooms
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Katie explained the new layout: “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 expressed her satisfaction with the renovation, saying: “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 done wooden panelling throughout their home
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
After spending £60,000 on the renovation, the couple’s home has been valued at £410,000, £191,500 more than the original purchase price. Katie shared their future plans: “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.”
Katie and Jono aim to work part-time, three days a week, to spend more time with Archie and pursue their goal of early retirement, while also managing multiple properties and creating user-generated content for their Instagram.