A British couple have revealed how they turned the “ugliest house on the street” into their dream home.
Ash Mazzina and partner Chad purchased the two-bedroom, one-bathroom property for £590,000 – having shared the incredible renovation on TikTok, where it has racked up over 1.1m views (@ashmazzina ).
Before the transformation, the unsightly Victorian house had been stripped of everything but the fireplace and looked like a “wreck”.
After purchasing the home in December 2021, it has taken the couple until now to reverse the work of “cowboy builders” from the past.
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“Put the period features to one side and the house was still a wreck,” Ash told What’s The Jam.
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“There was damp covering the walls in every room, rotten joists and floorboards, and even bathroom fixtures hanging from the walls.
“There were also leaks from old pipes and gas leaks from previous cowboy builders.
“The majority of people try to spend as little as possible when renovating to maximise profit.
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“But this is our first home and we didn’t spare any expense, we live here and wanted to create our dream home.”
Ash and Chad bought the home in December 2021 and did a large chunk of the work themselves, but hired professionals for some of the more specialist jobs.
Altogether, the couple spent close to £150,000 on the work but claim the home’s value has climbed to £750,000, giving them a modest £10,000 profit, should they sell up.
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As for the work, they removed the pebbledash, restored the brickwork, and created a front garden with a Victorian-style tiled path.
They also replaced all windows with original sash windows and removed the rotten floorboards to lay new, oak parquet flooring.
He said: “We also added new fireplaces in the lounge and dining room.
“We then ripped out the old kitchen and added a completely new one.
“We ripped out the old bathroom, and again installed a new one, including a brand spanking new shower, bath, and tiles.”
The couple also re-plastered all the walls and added panelling for character.
He said: “We then created a wall between the lounge and dining room to remedy the ‘open planned’ layout created by the previous owner.
“Out the back, we fully renovated the garden, adding trees and plants along with a new tiled path and patio.”
In the TikTok, the duo share before and after images of the front of the home, back garden, and kitchen.
The house used to have a plain, cream colour exterior with white doors and windows.
In the after picture, it can be seen with the restored brickwork, a garden of flowers, and a black door.
The transformation of the back garden goes from a pile of rubble and wood to a beautiful patio sitting area, surrounded by flowers and a bird bath in the centre.
The post was captioned: “POV: You buy the ugliest house on the street,” and has gained over 184,000 likes, as well as thousands of comments from inspired fans.
One person said: “FINALLY NO SAD MODERN GREY BEIGE.”
Eilidh added: “You brought the character back! Looks brilliant.”
Victoria commented: “This is the most beautiful house reno I’ve seen on this app.”
Matt wrote: “My god, absolutely LOVE the kitchen. Well done!”
Someone else said: “At last someone who has taste and gets rid of render instead of making the house full of render.”
Ayma added: “The back garden I just GASPED.”
Matteo commented: “Bro, this is majestic.”
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