'We saved thousads by doing it all ourselves
With no choice but to renovate their fixer-upper themselves during lockdown, Charlotte and James Lawrence learned as they went along to DIY their dream home
Feature Maxine Brady Photos Bee Holme
Sleek DIY reno
After spending three years transforming a dated semi into a modern masterpiece, Charlotte and James Lawrence are looking forward to spending the festive season in their finished home. ‘This year is going to be extra special because it will be our daughter’s first Christmas,’ Charlotte explains. ‘It’s going to be a very different experience to our first Christmas in this house, because it was very much a work-in-progress then!’
The couple decided to make the move to Brighton after renting in London for eight years. ‘We wanted to live on the Sussex coast to be closer to our family,’ says Charlotte, who admits they had a very specific idea of what they wanted to buy. Luckily, this house ticked all the boxes. ‘As soon as we walked through the door and saw the views from the living room over the South Downs and the coast, we knew this was the home for us.’
The house had been in the same family since the 1950s and it was in a state of disrepair. ‘All the walls and ceiling were covered in Artex and there were old brown carpets throughout. The kitchen was tiny and we inherited a dated salmon-pink bathroom,’ explains Charlotte. ‘We think the state of the property had put lots of potential buyers off, but we were looking for a fixer-upper that we could transform.’
TIME TO UPSKILL
The couple got the keys to the property in February 2020, but moved in temporarily with family while the main building work was done. Their plan of action was to have a plumber, builder, plasterer and electrician ready to go, and get the house ready in three months – but then lockdown hit. Although a labourer had been round to strip everything and knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, f
