Mum adds £80,000 to home value by spending just £3,500 on minor changes
Tamzin McGilln, 33, and husband Donovan McGilln, 36, bought their £550,000, four-bedroom Bristol home in 2021 but say they felt “disconnected” from it.
They loved the location and the commute to the city center – something they were looking for.
Now, the family that includes Ross, 4, and Olive, 2, lives in a house redecorated to their taste with their dog, Monty.
Moving in though, they saw the property as lackluster and that was when Tamzin, who studied textile at university, took matters into her own hands.
She did her home transformation all by herself, with a little help from a few professionals.
“After we moved into the house, we felt completely disconnected from home,” said Tamzin.
“The interiors were completely monochrome and felt kind of cool. We wanted it to feel like a happy family home. Our youngest was only three months old at the time and we had this vision of creating a wonderful, happy family home for our kids to grow up in.”
Tamzin started from the living room, where the first thing she did was remove the wallpaper she didn’t like.
“I removed the wallpaper and installed a new light fixture,” she said. Then I painted and wallpapered where needed and put some tile stickers on the fireplace.
Then came the fun part of adding the required shelf and decor. For the kitchen, I removed the spattered glass and replaced it with patterned tiles.
“From respraying the kitchen units to painting the walls, the kitchen feels like a whole other space after these changes.”
Even after working hard for nearly two years in other rooms, Tamzin refuses to rest.
“For the family room and master bedroom, I got rid of the wallpapers and removed the lights, which didn’t fit our style,” she said.
“I used color blocking techniques and smart tiles to upgrade the rooms and give them an element of character. I also added a new vanity unit in the bathroom downstairs which made a huge change.
“From adding baseboards to getting timeless decorative pieces in, the little things have done so much to transform my home.”
Tamsin got outside help from specialists for the things she needed.
“We changed the tiles with the help of a tiler,” she said. “Our kitchen was sprayed with a professional kitchen sprayer. We also hired a plumber and electrician to do minor alterations. We made sure that no small part of the house was left unattended.”
The hard work of Tamzin and her husband has paid off and they receive best regards from their friends and family. It is an example of how you can do more with less.
“One of the best comments we’ve received is when someone told me that being in my house is like ‘walking through Pinterest.'” Tamzin said.
“Pinterest is a great platform that gives us a lot of inspiration so this compliment was especially flattering. For anyone who is hesitant to start their own DIY business, I would say the little things make the biggest impact. Drawing, for example, is an incredibly powerful tool.
“You can really transform a space using different colors and paint techniques. Adding some patterns like using tiles makes a big impact too.”
