Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Lifestyle
Storm Newton & Clare McCarthy

Young couple make '10-minute decision' to buy doer-upper house and transform it into dream home

A young couple in the UK have documented the huge renovation project they took on after making a snap decision.

Amy Wright, 24, and partner David Lavery, 25, were forced into making a decision very quickly when they were buying their first home in north Liverpool last year.

The couple said they knew it was "the one" but only had 10 minutes to put in an offer as the estate agent's office was closing for the day, the Liverpool Echo reports.

READ MORE: 'No guarantee' that scrapping development levies will lead to lower house prices, Dáil hears

READ MORE: Government to unveil three new proposals to tackle housing crisis

They also said they were "laughed at" for wanting to move in before Christmas due to the extensive renovation work that needed to be done on the house.

However, since making the purchase in November 2022, online fitness coach Amy and project manager David have transformed the space into a stylish home with neutral tones and splashes of black.

The living room before it was renovated (Amy Wright)

Among the many modern touches are herringbone flooring and a statement glass fireplace built into the media wall in the living room.

One of the biggest transformations so far has been the bathroom, with the couple taking down a partition wall to create a spacious and relaxing suite with a walk-in shower and bath.

Amy said: "I think the whole thing was a challenge, but in a good way - we love a challenge. Me and David get asked quite a lot about how we managed to do most of the hard part in two months, but you just take it one step at a time."

After the transformation, the living room now has a statement glass fireplace built into the media wall in the living room (Instagram/@insideno89)

To chart their renovation journey, Amy, who already had a large following on Instagram, set up a dedicated home reno account and a TikTok page. Her videos now regularly get upwards of one million views.

She added: "It's the best feeling seeing it come to life and it actually starting to become a home. I am loving furnishing it, but I have to be honest - I am missing the whole renovation part of the journey we had at the start.

"Even though it was hard work, I loved every minute of it. It really is the most satisfying thing ever seeing a shell become your home. Even just knocking down little walls, stripping paint off, seeing your skirting boards put in, it's so good."

The couple knocked a wall down in the bathroom to open up more space (Amy Wright)

Amy's highlights of the revamp include getting her new bathroom fitted, a media wall installed, new flooring and getting everywhere painted. She said: "Especially because I'm such an indecisive person, picking the paint colour was so hard.

"My favourite spot is the bathroom definitely. It's the only room that is fully finished. I wanted to go for a hotel vibe, and I think we definitely achieved this.

"However, I do love the living room. It just needs furniture but I am obsessed with the media wall from LD Media Walls."

Amy said she went for a "hotel vibe" when she was designing the bathroom (Instagram/@insideno89)

Amy also hinted that renovations 'could become a regular thing' for her and David. She added: "We have loved every minute of it. We’re now on to doing the garden and it's give us that spark back again."

She is also eyeing a new kitchen. Amy added: "We want to do an extension first, but this will most likely be a year down the line due to costs."

READ NEXT:

Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.