We added £180k to the value of our home & only spent £6k on the project… we work full time too, it’s about priorities
THIS couple added £180K to their £590,000 four bed home by spending just £6k and doing the work themselves.
Megan Righelato, 26, a senior internal audit manager and her boyfriend Chris Forshaw, 28, an electrician from London, England, have been renovating properties together for five years.
They fell in love with the art of renovation and working from a blank canvas to make a home beautiful.
The couple believe they have added £180,000 to the value of their home and have only spent around £6,000.
Chris and Megan have been working on their current home for almost two years but this is where they plan to live the rest of their lives, it will be a forever home certainly not one to flip.
Chris and Megan both worked full time during the renovation of their home and lived in the space while they have been completing the work.
”We loved the idea of starting with a blank canvas and making our home exactly as we envisaged,” said Megan.
”But due to the cost of labour and materials we’ve had to do a lot ourselves to keep the costs down.
”As Chris is an electrician and his dad is a carpenter, he is very good at giving things a go himself and we’ve managed to rope his dad into giving us a hand here and there too.”
The couple got in to renovation five years ago and haven’t looked back.
”I bought my first home with my partner Chris when I was 21 and he was 23, back in 2017 on the outskirts of London,” she said.
”It needed completely renovating so we gutted it and spent our weekends doing it up.
”Two years later we put it on the market and moved into our current home in October 2020.
”Chris is very good at DIY and I try to help where I can.
”We’ve been together for eight years and live with our little rescue cat Nala.”
Chris and Megan bought the home during Covid and are confident they are adding value to the property despite not being in it for the sale.
”We bought the house for £590,000 in October 2020, it is a four bed detached property and approximately 150 square metres,” said Megan.
”We’re on a fixed term mortgage so once that comes to an end we’ll be looking to revalue and hopefully will be completely finished with the renovation by then.
”Once it’s finished it’ll be worth around £750,000.
”We’ve been living here for just under two years and have been working on rooms on and off.
”We really wanted to live in the space before doing any work so we could decide exactly how we wanted everything.”
The couple believe they are about half way through their renovation and have spent around £6,000 so far.
”We’re still very much in the middle of our renovation journey but I’m over the moon with what we have achieved so far,” said Megan.
”Up to now we have spent approximately £5,000-£6,000.
”That includes renovating the master bedroom and adding a walk-in wardrobe, paneling the guest bedroom, painting the living room and the ensuite renovation, which is our current project.
”We know our home decor style won’t be to everyone’s taste but friends and family have been impressed, especially with the fact that we’ve done the majority of the work ourselves whilst working full time jobs.”
”They love our bedroom and walk-in wardrobe which is the one room pretty much finished, with just the flooring to replace.
”Our master bedroom is my favourite part of the house. It has always been a dream to have a walk-in wardrobe and being able to add one to our home is a dream come true.
”I also love the paneling and hanging bedside lights.
”The neutral tones all work so well together to make a calming but elegant space.”
Despite loving every moment of the journey, it has not all been plain sailing for Megan and Chris.
”We have had lots of problems during our renovation but we’ve managed to get them all sorted in the end,” said Megan.
”The biggest challenge so far has been the ensuite, from leaks to issues with the tiles, this room has definitely been the toughest.”
This project has definitely been a labour of love and Megan shared some advice for anyone considering taking on their own home renovation.
”Take your time with it. Whilst living in a home mid renovation isn’t the nicest, it gives you a chance to get a feel for the space and decide how you want things,” she said.
”We have changed our mind on layout, colour schemes and decor so many times.
”When we first moved in we were adamant we would be doing an extension, but now we’ve decided against it.
”Rushing into it will result in you wishing some things had been done differently, which we definitely had with our last house.”
You can follow along with Chris and Megan’s exciting renovation journey on Instagram @megsathome and on TikTok @meganrighe.