'I saved £10k renovating my run-down council house with cheap Primark buys'

29 March 2024 , 13:55

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Celene has renovated her home on a budget (Image: Celene Francis / SWNS)

A savvy homeowner has left people amazed with her stunning home transformation - and she saved £10,000 in the process.

Celene Francis, 25, managed to renovate her whole run-down council house with a £3,000 budget by using bargains from Primark and B&M, and the end result is incredible.

She started renting her council house in April 2020, and has since completely transformed the property to make it more homely and bang-on trend.

When Celene first moved in, the property was in a "dire condition" with wallpaper peeling off the walls, yellow ceilings, and plaster all over the floor. But now, it's much more to her taste.

The stairs were not to Celene's taste at first (Celene Francis / SWNS)

But now she's made them her own (Celene Francis / SWNS)

The student midwife and mental health support worker, from Sheffield, said: "When we moved in the house was in a terrible state. It was just full of wallpaper - the doors were purple, and the flooring was terrible. The person who previously lived here was a smoker, so all the ceiling and woodwork was yellow, and the garden was overgrown - it was a mess really.

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"I am still doing bits now - I have been renovating the house bit by bit. I have saved myself loads of money - I have bought a lot of items from B&M Bargains and Primark. I love the H&M home section, but you walk into B&M Bargains and can get the same stuff for a fraction of the price."

The garden looked overgrown before (Celene Francis / SWNS)

But with a little love and effort, Celene made it look lovely (Celene Francis / SWNS)

Celene has lived in her council home with her daughter Indie, three, for three years, and she knew when she moved into the home that it needed some TLC. "I just had to gut everything", Celene shared. "We got everything out, that's why I went for all-white walls as it was easy and clean."

She continued: "I started off doing up the main rooms, the bedrooms and the living room. I painted the whole house white - I've put new flooring in, changed the kitchen completely by painting the cupboards and adding a new worktop. I have done panelling and slack walls throughout the house - I have tried to keep it all running in the same theme."

The living room was drab previously (Celene Francis / SWNS)

The living room now fits Celene's theme (Celene Francis / SWNS)

Celene is always on the hunt for a bargain, as she doesn't have "money to throw" into the renovation and had to complete it "gradually".

The mum's top tip for anyone starting a renovation project is to have a vision of how you want the whole property to look, saying you "want them [the rooms] to flow so every room ties in".

Celene's must-know tips:

• Do everything yourself
• Have a vision before you start
• Keep the same colours throughout your home
• Panel your walls
• Paint kitchen cupboards
• Add floating shelves

Celene has kept a lovely theme running through her home (Celene Francis / SWNS)

Breakdown of what changes were made:

• Removed all wallpaper
• Plastered walls and ceilings
• Painted every room white to keep the house in one theme
• Removed and replaced all the doors
• Painted all the radiators black
• Added panelled walls throughout the house
• Refurbished the bathroom
• Renovated the garden and added slack fences

Danielle Kate Wroe