Two strangers walked away with over £10,000 each after transforming a two-bed house in desperate need of attention. Teacher Olivia, 26, and security officer Gethin, 34, featured on the latest episode of The Great House Giveaway, teaming up to turn around an "unloved" two-bed terraced house in Bangor.
The show sees two strangers who have never owned a home buy a property at auction - and have a set budget to transform it into a liveable abode to be resold in just six months. If the pair are successful, they then get to split any profit made - if not the house goes back to auction. The Bangor home cost £86,750 to buy, and Gethin and Olivia were set a budget of only £7,000 to transform the property and just six months to do it.
Being shown around the property by host Simon O'Brien, they immediately discovered a host of glaring issues. Gethin commented immediately on the "hideous" fireplace while Olivia picked up on the lack of privacy in the downstairs bathroom area located in an extension, saying: "I can see who's showering and who's on the toilet!"
The pair were unimpressed with the kitchen, with Gethin suggesting "stripping it all out" and both he and Olivia noticed damp in the bedrooms and issues with peeling wallpaper. Reacting afterwards, Olivia said: "I said I wanted old fashioned - and it was definitely old fashioned" before they're given a budget of just £7,000 to transform the property in six months. You can get more TV news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
With Gethin having some trade experience and both he and Olivia having help at hand through friends, the renovation got underway swiftly with walls stripped and panelling torn away. Olivia's boyfriend Liam, a trainee plumber, quickly had to fix a leak in the toilet, and the fireplace and downstairs bathroom were quickly gutted.
Within weeks the pair showed Simon around and he was impressed at the ferocious pace of their work, saying: "Could this be the fastest Great House Giveaway?"
After their hard work transforming the previously "tired" property within just a few months, the house was valued at £142,500. Simon said the pair had "done everything right" and ended up with a high-spec property ready to go on the market. "I think you've done such a good job, I really do," he said. "As a team, I think you worked fabulously well together." Read about the family who couldn't afford days out or holidays who have won £184 million on the Euromillions.
They managed to only spend £2,037 over their £7,000 budget through enlisting friends and family in the trade. With taxes and fees it added to a total spend of £113,763. Simon later revealed that after a first offer fell through, the house managed to sell for £135,000, making a £21,237 profit, meaning the pair walked away with £10,618.50 each.
Gethin said he was going to put the money towards a deposit on a house. "I think we just clicked from day one," he said. "The partnership worked really well, and I think I'll walk away with new friends. I really enjoyed it."
Olivia said she'd be treating her family and giving some money to her dad and brother for their help, with the remainder going towards a deposit: "This has been a completely whirlwind. We were just really lucky that we got on like a house on fire, and had friends and family to help us."
