Our first property has been sold!
A year ago, Ashdan Estates opened its toolbox on its first job. A 2-bedroom terraced property in Burnopfield, which had been the previous childhood home of our Managing Director John. Unfortunately, in December of 2018, the house became empty after the death of John’s father Jack, and thus paved the way for Ashdan Estates to start their property portfolio.
Before the Ashdan team started refurbishing the property, it was decorated in an out-dated 1970s style, with a small galley kitchen, red patterned carpets, anaglypta wallpaper, a back-boiler, outdated electrics and wiring, and a gravelled front yard. Due to mobility issues, a stairlift and wet room had also been added to the property.
Read our tell-all blog below to find out what we changed and visit our Youtube Channel to see the transformation on your screens!
Exterior of the Property
The first thing that catches a person’s eye when looking at buying or renting a house is its exterior. They look at how neat the garden is, how accessible it is for older relatives, are there any worrying signs, such as cracks in the walls or windowsills? If you don’t look at the exterior of a house then you should start, because it can tell you a lot about its character and what might be hidden inside!
The exterior of our first property was slightly run-down; it had a sparse area of gravel; and the shed and coalhouse building needed a new roof and a complete render. The UPVC on the house itself needed to be replaced with a more modern system and the landscape needed some TLC.
To give it a ‘facelift’, the team changed the colour scheme completely. The shed and coalhouse building was rendered using a light grey colour, and the garden walls were painted to match. The old gravelled garden was re-gravelled with a new natural gravel which extended along the side of the house as well, and the hedges and plants trimmed to present a more manicured look and style. The erection of a new fence at the back of the house was also completed by the team.
The Kitchen
As many would say, the ‘heart of the home’, but only if fully functional. Unfortunately for this property, it was not the heart of the home. At one time, the kitchen within this property was a place of bustling life, however over years of neglect and disarray, this was no longer the case.
The kitchen throughout the years had been furnished with the same cupboards and flooring; a teak coloured cupboard door paired with a cream coloured vinyl flooring which was laid in 1992 and never changed until now. The walls, as shown in the photos, were made up of a mixture of brown wood panelling and ceramic tiles.
The team started the refurbishment of the kitchen by ripping out all the old cupboards and doors, and then tackled the flooring. All the kitchen appliances were thrown away and replaced with new ones. In addition, the new boiler was situated into a specially made cupboard in the kitchen for easier access.
The new counter tops and cupboards picked were of a grey colour scheme; with the counter tops being a light grey/white marble colour and the cupboards a high gloss dark grey finish. The flooring picked was a light grey laminate which extended throughout the downstairs of the property. Further to this, the kitchen was extended and made into a kitchen/diner area which included a breakfast bar and new oven, hob and extractor fan. The wood panelling and ceramic tiles were replaced with a grey splashback and complimented with white walls.
The Lounge
Before the refurbishment, the lounge area had been the most used area of the house for the family. It was where the family gathered for birthdays, anniversaries and other celebratory occasions. It was decorated with a brown wood bureau with gold handles, red patterned carpets and anaglyptic wallpaper. An older green sofa and armchair were removed before the refurbishment started due to the declining health of John’s father Jack. In addition, the lounge and dining room were both decorated with gold chandeliers that hung down too low, and the two rooms were also connected via an archway, which some of us had to duck underneath! The boiler was originally behind the chimney breast, and the fireplace was an old stone hearth with a gas fire.
The flooring from the kitchen was used throughout the downstairs of the property, which meant that old red carpet went. The anaglyptic wallpaper was replaced with clean white walls, and the arch way was smoothed out and transformed into a squared walkway. The old furniture was thrown out and the room left empty to showcase the transformation, and the gold chandeliers were replaced with standard grey light shades. The fireplace was taken out and replaced with a new electric fire, controlled with remotes, and the boiler was removed from the chimney breast and placed in the kitchen for easier access. A new boiler and heating system were installed throughout the house.
The Bathroom
The bathroom had previously become a wet-room, due to mobility issues, and so had a light blue sloping flooring, old blue and white ceramic tiles and an old rusty shower curtain rail.
The team took off all the old ceramic tiles, and replaced it with a white and grey cladding, used all over the bathroom and as a bath panel upon the new bath. Again, the flooring was replaced with a black cladding, and the toilet and sink cleaned down thoroughly. A new bath was fitted, including an over-head shower system and the shower curtain was replaced with a shower screen.
The Bedrooms
Both bedrooms were fitted with outdated carpets; one a bright pink and one a cream with red and green patterned flowers and decorated with anaglyptic wallpaper. The master bedroom and second bedroom both had fitted wardrobes and cupboards. The master bedroom was accessorised with pink curtains, whilst the second bedroom had orange and cream curtains.
For the refurbishment of the bedrooms, the team replaced the old worn carpets with new grey carpets, which were also extended to the landing and stairs, and a clean white paint for the walls. The fitted wardrobes for the master bedroom were taken out and those in the second bedroom were fitted with shoe railings and a small light. The lights were accessorised with sleek grey lightshades.
As you can see above, a lot of changes were made to the childhood home of our Managing Director. But whilst the decor of the property changed, the memories left for the family will forever remain the same.