I’m moving into a run-down council house and have found a cheap B&M buy to get new walls

A mum moving into a council estate has found a clever, budget-friendly hack to transform her home from run-down to chic.

The working mother, who pays the rent with some housing allowance but supplements it herself, shared her plan online.

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She revealed that she wants to get a better paying job after college next years, meaning she would no longer receive housing allowance.

In the meantime, she has moved to a council house that is damp, poorly furnished and in need of maintenance.

Post on Mothernetsaid the anonymous mother: “When I move, there’s a lot to do: flooring, plastering, tidying up the garden and painting or wallpapering every room.

“The bathroom is being made usable, but I have to paint the ceiling, skirting boards and door myself.

“The kitchen will have tiled back walls, new cupboards and a floor, but I still have to paint the walls. I receive €200 in paint vouchers.

“Two bedrooms will be carpeted and I have chosen to give priority to the children’s rooms.

“The stairs, the living room and my bedroom floors remain bare, as do the walls in every room.

“My budget after moving costs is virtually zero.

‘Family have offered to pay for the carpeting for the front room, but I either have to pay the installation costs or do it myself.

“The garden is a mess, and the bathroom is a wet room – think retirement home, not modern lifestyle.”

The mum asked for advice on plastering, paneling the attic, modernizing the bathroom and finding “super cheap” waterproof bathroom storage, as well as gardening tips.

She continued, “My plan is to finish the living room and nursery first and then plank out the attic for storage.

“I used to have space in my bedroom to store things because we had two double bedrooms. The kids had one, and I had the other.

“Now I’m moving into storage and no longer have room to store the Christmas tree etc in my room, and I doubt the kids will want it in their own room.

“That’s why I want the loft to be ready as quickly as possible. Until then, I’ll keep the Christmas tree in the kitchen.

I’ve never had to renovate one room, let alone an entire house

Mumsnet user

“The carpet in the hallway and stairs is second to last on my list, and my room is third to last.

“First is the children’s room, then the living room and then the kitchen. Good plan?

“And that’s it, unless I’ve missed some essential stuff, and I’m sure I have. It’s all a bit overwhelming.

“I’ve never had to renovate one room, let alone an entire house. I could use as many tips as you all want to give.”

B&M money saving

Many people quickly offered their tips and hacks for transforming a council house on a budget.

One commenter wrote: ‘We have had some council houses in very poor condition and have only improved the rooms when money allowed.

“Having all the woodwork shine and fresh paint everywhere made a huge difference.

“Mucking out your coop is easy to do yourself; you can buy click planks fairly cheaply at B&Q.

“I did my old loft. Carpeting is not expensive, only £30/£40 per room – I always thought it was super expensive!

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“B&M or The Range is great for cheap wallpaper, DIY supplies, plastic drawers and household items.

“If your walls are terrible but you can’t afford the plaster yet, I would buy plain textured wallpaper that you can paint over.”

Another gave their advice, writing: “Bare stairs are very noisy, the only place we definitely have carpet in our house is the stairs.

“Bare stairs can look beautiful, but expect many hours of hard work nailing and sanding to get them looking like this – personally I’d put that time into filling, sanding and cladding the walls, and leaving it covering the stairs.”