‘When we first viewed this place, it was the ugliest house on the street, but we really enjoyed doing up our last home and were ready for a new project. We also wanted a garden for our two dogs, Olive and Lola. It took seven months to move in because of Covid, so we thought we were ready to hit the ground running when we finally got the keys, but our original plans changed fairly swiftly.
We initially planned to open up the ground floor, which had been divided into three living areas, to create one large room, but after moving in and living with the space we did a U-turn. Creating zones to include a formal living room at the front and a sun room at the back, separated by a bespoke kitchen in the middle, made much more sense and saved a fortune in new flooring and installing massive steels. It also meant we could convert the room that used to be the kitchen into a laundry room.
Things don’t have to be expensive to make a home beautiful. Some of our accessories were less than £2 from a charity shop but they help create a unique look that nobody else has.
Jo Lemos
The main bulk of the renovations were done during the first lockdown, when the cost of materials kept going up and we couldn’t get trades in. At one point, the whole downstairs was back to brick, some areas had no floors, and there was no running water or electricity, so it was a rough six months. But, although it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears – especially as we did most of the work ourselves – we adore the unique home we’ve created.’
A bit about me I’m Jo Lemos (@two.men.and.a.semi), a training and development coach, and I live with my husband, Chris Gilheaney, and our two dogs, Olive and Lola.
Where I live Our home is a three-bedroom 1930s semi in Prestwich, Manchester and we moved here in November 2019.
What I wanted to change It was a pretty sad house as it hadn’t been updated for decades. The decor was stuck in the 80s, with carpet in every room, walls covered in woodchip wallpaper, and Artex on all the ceilings. There was also a gaping hole in the ceiling of the spare bedroom.
How I made it my own After repairing the ceiling we plastered every room, reinstated the fireplace in the living area, and then designed and built a new kitchen in the middle of the house to create an open-plan space with zoned areas.
My favourite part I love the utility room. It used to be the kitchen and was one of the cheapest makeovers in the house. It’s functional but also looks great with the brass fittings and the exposed brick wall, and I can’t imagine having a house without one now.
How we renovated our 1930s house
Living room
‘The first thing we did was reinstate the fireplace, as we love a real fire and use it most days in winter. After having the whole room replastered, we put in the tallest skirting boards we could find and added new door frames. We considered rendering the fireplace, but Chris liked the texture of the brick, so we tidied it up and painted it to complement the ceiling and walls. We also added coving and ceiling roses in a style suiting a 1930s house and panelled the lower half of the walls. As we also have the conservatory, we turned this area into a formal living room, but I chose soft, muted tones and lots of textured and wooden accessories to give the room a relaxed, welcoming feel.’
Conservatory
‘This room was cold and uninviting, so we installed the skylight and painted the walls in the shade Copper Green from Mylands to add some warmth and gentle colour. The best thing we did was paint the uPVC windows a very dark green, which turned the white plastic conservatory into a stylish space that now looks like it has wooden windows, and I love the way they frame the garden. We also added frosted glass on both ends of the room to add privacy from neighbours on one side and hide the bins and recycling on the other.
We did most of the work ourselves and we’re happy to give anything a go. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it saves money and gives us a sense of pride.
Jo Lemos
Kitchen
‘Keeping the original galley kitchen in place during the works meant we were able to build the new kitchen without too much disruption. We opened up an arch into the living room to add light and decided to keep the chimney breast, so the cupboards and sink were installed on the opposite wall. Luckily, this was also nearest the original source of plumbing, so it also saved us money. I wanted a plywood kitchen, but the quotes were out of our budget, so we decided to make and install one ourselves. We bought carcasses, worktops, and a sink from IKEA, and then had the birch plywood doors cut to size at B&Q. We treated them with Osmo oil and added the brassware to inject a touch of luxe. The tap was a splurge but it’s really beautiful and finishes off the look, making the kitchen feel more expensive than it actually is.’
Utility room
‘This was originally the galley kitchen and although we’d planned to knock through to make a gigantic kitchen, I had a vision of creating a beautiful laundry room, so we kept it as a separate space. We built a stud wall ourselves to allow space for a downstairs toilet and removed the glass splashback and cabinets to reveal the brick wall which, when cleaned up, added character, and we like the fact that it shows the bones of the house. The flooring was originally in our bedroom, but we sanded it and laid it in here, and we used the same tiles and grout in the new kitchen for cohesion. After being inspired by Pinterest, I installed the brass pole to allow clothes to dry, and the wooden shelving creates easy storage for towels and bedding.’
Main bedroom
‘After revealing and sanding the original floorboards, we initially painted this room white while we concentrated on the downstairs reno. Then, we attached the picture rail for some period character and charm, and chose a peach tone for the walls below, a colour we created in collaboration with COAT. The original fireplace had been ripped out and the wall blocked up, so I sourced a new one in keeping with the style of the house and used leftover tiles and the same grout we used downstairs to cover the concrete hearth. I didn’t want a cluttered space, so we moved most of our stuff into the third bedroom, and selected a few pieces of vintage furniture.’
Guest bedroom
‘We used to call this the ‘cabbage room’ as we painted every wall, door and skirting board green, and although I initially loved the look, during lockdown it felt a bit much. Also, as we gradually decorated the rest of the house, it didn’t feel cohesive or add to the natural flow. I didn’t want to paint the walls one colour, so I got some chalk paint from Rust-Oleum and decided to try an ombré effect. I chose two colours, which I split into two and mixed with white, and then over a couple of days I simply used a large brush and wet sponge to create the effect. I don’t like a lot of things on the walls, so this adds the interest the room needed.’
