Using just a small helping hand from others, a former electrician transformed a semi-detached house in Swansea from an outdated and old-fashioned build to a perfect family home on Homes Under The Hammer. Buying the three-bed, which Homes Under The Hammer host Martin Roberts described as "in general a together house" Mark spent around £20,000 re-doing the house and doing most of the work himself, making him a profit, he said of around £30,000.
The work included changing the colour of the front of the house, adding all-new patio doors and windows across the house and stripping out a fireplace. Mark did most of the work himself, only getting a plasterer to help, an electrician to sign off on the electrics and a gas engineer to check the gas - and he was even able to get around the leasehold, which had only 44 years left.
Since leaving his job as an electrician, Mark now considers property as his "full-time job". He said: "I treat it as a full-time job, so I'll be here at half-past seven in the morning and I'm here until half-past five at night and just plough on with it." Mark was able to buy the freehold for £9,000, which impressed Martin, which was the biggest chunk of his £20,000 budget. In May 2021 the house was valued at £140,00 and £550-£600 per calendar month in rent.
Once all his work was complete in January 2022 the same estate agent re-valued the house at £180,000 to £185,000 and £800 to £850 per calendar month in rent, making Mark a £59,000 profit, although he told WalesOnline later that other costs meant the profit was closer to £30,000. Transforming the house from the grey-stone-like exterior to a sleek white paint job the house looks very different, both outside and in.
Taking less than eight months to complete the renovation project Mark made some major changes, including the small dated kitchen which has been changed into an open plan, light, modern living area with new patio doors out into the cleaned up garden.
Saying goodbye to the retro 1970s staircase the house now boasts a sleek up-date staircase decorated in white and grey.
The very blue, but large and spacious, family bathroom has also been given a modern face lift.
Mark said: "Overall I'm really pleased with it, it's exactly how I wanted it to turn out and the improvements I've made here, especially with the French doors has just completely opened up the house and it's completely different to what it was before." Intending to sell the house on the market, Mark is not planning on renting it out and is eager to move onto his next project.
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