A mum has added £80,000 to the value of her home by spending just £3.5K on redecorating claiming "the smallest things make the biggest impact".
Tamzin McGillen, 33, and husband Donovan McGillen, 36, bought their £550,000 four bedroom house in Bristol, in 2021 but said they felt "disconnected" to it.
They loved the location and the possibility to commute to the city centre- something they were looking for.
Now, the family including Ross, 4, and Olive, 2, live in a house redecorated to their taste along with their dog Monty.
On moving in ,though, they saw the property as drab and that was when Tamzin, who did textile studies at University, took matters into her hands.
She undertook the transformation of their home herself with only a little help from some professionals.
"After moving in we felt quite disconnected to the house," said Tamzin.
"The interiors were quite monochromatic and it felt kind of cold. We wanted it to feel like a happy family home. Our youngest child was just three months at that time and we had this vision of creating a wonderful and happy family home for our children to grow up in."
Tamzin started from the living room, where the first thing she did was remove the wallpaper that she disliked.
"I removed the wallpaper and installed new a light fitting," she said. "I then painted, put wallpaper where needed and put on some tile stickers on the hearth.
"Then came the fun part of adding the shelf and the required decoration. For the kitchen I removed the glass splash back and replaced them with patterned tiles.
"From respraying the kitchen units to painting the walls, the kitchen looks like another space altogether after these changes."
Even after working hard for almost two years on other rooms, Tamzin refuses to rest.
"For the family room and the master bedroom, I got rid of the wallpapers and removed the lights that didn't fit into our style," she said.
"I used colour blocking techniques and smart tiles to upgrade the rooms and to give them a distinct element. I also added a new vanity unit in the washroom downstairs which made a huge change.
"From adding panelling to getting timeless decorative pieces, little things did much to transform my home."
Tamzin did take outside help of professionals for things where she needed them.
"We have changed tiles with the help of a tiler," she said. "Our kitchen was sprayed by a professional kitchen sprayer. We also hired a plumber and electrician for minor alterations. We made sure that no tiny aspect of the home was left uncared for."
Tamzin and her husband's hard work has borne fruits and they receive the best compliments from their friends and family. They are an example of how to do more using less.
"One of the best comments we've received is when someone told me that being in my house is like 'walking through Pinterest." said Tamzin.
"Pinterest is a great platform that offers us plenty of inspiration so that compliment was particularly flattering. For anyone who is hesitating to start their DIY, I would say that small things make the biggest impact. Paint, for instance, is an incredibly powerful tool.
"You really can transform a space using colour and different paint techniques. Adding some patterns like using tiles makes a big impact too."
