A SAVVY couple have stunned Brits with their huge renovation project to convert two flats into their dream first home together.
Ellie Williams and partner Lloyd started their bumper project in April 2022 with the intention of converting both flats they purchased into one big house.
The couple’s mammoth task would see them knock down walls, recover antique features and install staircase but 16 months on and £32,000 later, they are celebrating finally completing two rooms.
In a recent video, the couple from South Wales revealed how they began the project after a struggle with the marketplace but managed to save up enough money after living with family and being child-free.
They added that the two flats came at a good price and included all the “non-negotiable tick boxes” – including a garden, parking spaces and being detached from other homes.
With the two properties being separate from one another, meaning no internal staircases and small rooms, the couple had their work cut out.
This included renovating the house after long working days, living in the flats as they renovated them and learning how to structurally build each component of the home.
Video shows Ellie and Lloyd standing outside one of the two flats as they pose for the camera.
Ellie can be heard narrating: “We are Ellie and Lloyd and we bought these first two flats as our first home in April 2022 to convert back into one house.”
The footage shows a first-person point of view as the viewers are taken through the house to see an untouched interior filled with wooden floors and bare rooms.
Ellie explains: “We knew it was going to be an absolutely massive project when we went to view it, but we knew that we wanted to take it on as well.”
“The main reason for this was [that] it ticked all of the boxes for our non-negotiables. It has a garden; it has parking and it’s detached.”
She adds: “A s you can see, there’s no internal staircase at all so the flats were completely separated.
“We decided to live here during the renovations because we thought that this was going to help us decide what we wanted to do with each space.”
Moving on to the renovations, the camera shows two men removing floorboards in one of the flats.
Ellie says: “Obviously, the first job that we wanted to do was to install an internal staircase, so we could actually connect the two flats together and not feel like they were separate dwellings.”
The clip shows work underway on integral parts of the flat before the couple install a sleek wooden staircase with glass panelling.
Ellie says: “So, we cut a hole in the bannister, ordered our staircase and this was the first job.”
The camera then shows Lloyd hammering a wall to reveal a brick fireplace.
Ellie then says: “After this, we did a lot of internal demolition, including finding this amazing fireplace behind the render, cleaning up and preparing for the rooms to be decorated.
The pair can then be seen hammering and working on the wall before the clip then cuts to show scaffolding hooked onto the two houses as roofers get to work.
Ellie continues: “Next up, we had the roof replaced. We added solar panels, skylights, steels for the loft and painted the exterior.”
The camera then shows Ellie and Lloyd holding hands as they smile at each other in the unfinished bathroom.
They jump and the shot then changes to a beautiful finished bathroom complete with marble walls, a porcelain bathtub, a large shower and plants potted around the fresh, modern room.
Ellie narrates: “So far, we’ve completed two rooms – our main bathroom and our spare bedroom.
“Our loft conversion master suite is well underway and the open plan kitchen-living-dining area is coming together slowly but surely.”
The camera then shows a wall decorated with posters, fresh green paint and a bed fitted with thick blankets and pillows.
The clip then shows the pair in the loft as they continue work on its skeletal structure.
Ellie then advises: “Knowing which order to do things in is honestly the hardest thing. Make sure you follow us to keep up with our progress.”
The duo took to social media on Monday to share the video, writing: “Our journey with converting these two flats into one house so far.”
The clip received over 94,200 likes and more than 270 comments from users left in awe at the large-scale project.
One user wrote: “Okay. This is so cute. Imagine being with the love of your life and finding the home of your dreams, then doing the renovations together. Goals.”
Another said: “Been following since the start. Love to see the progress.”
A third commented: “Finding that fireplace – best surprise ever.”
Another added: “This is a stunning transformation. Loads of inspiration too. Love it.”
A fifth wrote: “You already know the house is going to be amazing. I mean, look at the rooms.”
