RENOVATED VICTORIAN TERRACE
Brimming with creative ideas, Monika and Konrad got hands on in making a home that’s full of pattern, colour and texture
Monika and her husband, Konrad, bought their home in the Wirral, knowing that it needed quite a lot of TLC. ‘We both loved the area, this was the perfect house for us and the price was amazing. So when it came onto the market, we jumped at buying it,’ says Monika. ‘But we were under no illusion that it needed a lot of work.’
They knew exactly what they wanted to do to the house. ‘I wanted to remove some walls to open up the space, and this meant that we’d need to upgrade the electrics and move some plumbing,’ says Monika. The first stage of renovation took less than six months. They started off by removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a social space, and then knocked down the wall between the bathroom and toilet to create a bigger family bathroom. After first checking that they were not supporting walls, Konrad knocked them down himself, saving on labour costs.
Once all the electrics and plastering were in place, they fitted a new kitchen. ‘I wanted something simple so went for a Scandinavian design. But to add interest, I picked up some fun brick-style wall slips to give the idea of open brick. The ones I chose had a rustic finish and have fooled lots of people into thinking it’s a real brick wall,’ says Monika.
While trying to prep the wall in the dining room, the couple happily discovered a fireplace that had been blocked up. Konrad managed to open it all up and made it safe, and they added a faux wooden fire surround and filled the fireplace with candles and plants.
In the sitting room, however, they opted for a wood burner. ‘It really was the best thing we did. We found a local reclamation yard that was selling reconditioned ones and then had it fitted professionally. It was much cheaper than brand new models, and the finish is just as good,’ says Monika.
The downstairs side-conservatory was long and split into garage space, conservatory, and lean-to. ‘Our plan was to wait and to convert it into a home office space and small toilet, but as we were on a roll, we decided to convert part of it into a downstairs shower room. Then we went that one step further and fitted a new toilet and shower, and created a laundry area, which include
