Latest news with #councilhouse
The Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
You'd never know I live in a council house thanks to how good it looks – I shopped in IKEA & an Amazon tip saved me cash
A MOTHER has revealed that she lives in a council house but nobody can tell because of how stylish it looks. So if you're eager to give your pad an upgrade but don't know where to start, you've come to the right place and will need to take inspiration from this savvy DIY enthusiast. 5 5 5 Crystal Jewell, a 32-year-old mum-of-two from the UK, was able to transform her council house whilst staying on a budget. Not only did she shop in The Range sale and nab bargain buys from IKEA, but she was also able to save cash thanks to a handy Amazon hack. Posting on social media, Crystal gave her followers a before, during and after look at her living room overhaul, leaving many totally stunned. Alongside the short clip, the brunette beauty beamed: 'POV: You live in a council house but you can't tell.' At the start of the video, viewers saw the content creator rip off the dark wallpaper from the walls. Just seconds later, the mother got to work on painting the walls, in an attempt to lighten the space. Crystal confirmed that she used the Dulux paint in the shade Egyptian Cotton, which you can nab from B&Q, Screwfix and Wickes, from £23. What was once quite a dark and dated space is now incredibly trendy and chic. Crystal furnished the room with gorgeous cream sofas and added flowers and trendy black photo frames, which she got from B&M. In the corner of the room is also a dining table and chairs, which thanks to Crystal's savvy idea, looks jaw-dropping. Eager to reveal more on her purse-friendly project, Crystal told Fabulous: 'The table was £50 from IKEA - the dining chairs I already had but were old and worn out so I updated them with some chair covers from Amazon.' As well as this, Crystal also revealed to us: 'All of the table decor was from The Range which I got in the sale, including the sofa cushions and wallpaper. 'Curtains were from Dunelm, £40 per pair, I bought two pairs. The nets are from IKEA and also the curtain pole. 'Everything had to be budget friendly. I absolutely love DIY and doing stuff on a budget and making my home cosy for me and my two children.' DIY enthusiasts beam The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 23,300 views, 501 likes and 23 comments. DIY fans were left gushing over Crystal's gorgeous home and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. living room looks STUNNING!' Another added: 'Looks amazing.' A third commented: 'Beautiful, nicely done.'
The Sun
10 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Pregnant mum-of-4 trolled for being ‘lazy' as she shows the state of her council house first thing in the morning
A PREGNANT mum-of-four has been labelled "lazy" after sharing a look inside her council house kitchen first thing in the morning. Nicole Austin is no stranger to causing a stir on social media, particularly when she posts videos showing just how messy her house actually is. 4 4 4 And one accusation she regularly hears is that she's lazy - a description she found herself attracting once again after explaining why she and her husband leave their dinner washing up until the morning. "Sometimes I'm just too tired to do the evening washing up after dinner," Nicole said in a video on her TikTok page. "And in our household that's okay! "Rest is way more important to us than doing some dishes. "And that's how it should be." Nicole added that because she's a "morning girl", she's always "bursting with energy" as soon as she gets up. "So at 6am, 7am, whenever we get up, we come downstairs and we clean everywhere," she continued. "This is 90% of the time before the kids are even up. "So the kids don't even know the difference before anyone comes at me for that." Nicole predicted some of the responses she was going to receive, as she said she's even "waiting for the threats of social services". My council house always looks dirty despite endless scrubbing - it's all broken or hanging off hinges & I can't fix it "But come on, if you're that exhausted, why are you pushing yourself to do some dishes that can easily be done a few hours later after you've got some sleep?" she said. "Putting rubbish away, taking bins out and things like that. "I do understand. But some dishes? No." When it comes to her own priorities, Nicole insisted she "prioritises my peace". "I learnt this because I used to burn myself out all the time," she said. "Now I prioritise my peace. And sometimes that does mean going to bed and getting that extra hour sleep. The household items you're not cleaning often enough IF you want to ensure your home is squeaky clean, you'll need to listen up. Below are the household items you're forgetting to clean, and how to get them sparkling... Remote Controls: Wipe with a disinfectant cloth. Use a cotton bud for crevices. Light Switches: Wipe with a disinfectant wipe. Use a mild soap solution for tough stains. Door Handles: Clean with an antibacterial spray. Wipe down regularly. Underneath and Behind Appliances: Vacuum or sweep regularly. Mop with a suitable cleaner. Shower Curtains and Liners: Wash in the washing machine. Use a bleach solution for stubborn mildew. Kitchen Sponges and Dishcloths: Microwave damp sponges for one minute. Wash dishcloths in the washing machine. Computer Keyboards and Mice: Use compressed air to remove debris. Wipe with a disinfectant wipe. "And I'll never feel guilty for that!" "Do you do your kitchen clean up at night or first thing?" Nicole asked in her video caption. "Or whenever you feel like it? BIG controversy!" As Nicole predicted, people slammed her in the comments section, with many having some choice names for her. "Lazy lazy lazy people," one raged. "This is what's wrong with GB these days. Self diagnosed scroungers!" "Don't matter how tired I am, having a clean home for my children to wake up to in the morning is a priority, even when I was heavily pregnant," another said. "You also have a man tell him to pull his weight instead of leaving it to you - it's just pure lazy." "Nope, I cant... it leaves smells in the house. and coming down to the smell of last nights dinner makes me feel sick," someone else said. "I couldn't sleep knowing there's a mess waiting for me - I would be an overwhelmed mess in the morning," another insisted. However, others defended Nicole, with some agreeing with her that it's more important to put self care first. "I don't get the comments on here," one said. "Leaving washing up overnight isn't the worst thing in the world! "If you know it is going to get done the next day then what's the issue?" "For God's sake," another added. "Stop coming for this lady just because she hasn't done her cleaning. "Leave her alone!" "I do & I've got a dishwasher, rest is important," a third commented. "No-one's on their deathbed wishing they'd done the dishes every night before bed," someone else said. 4
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I transformed my council house kitchen with paint & a £13 B&Q buy – after we were left waiting 4 years for a free update
A THRIFTY DIY fan has wowed people with her epic council house kitchen makeover on the cheap. According to data by HiF Kitchens, the average cost of a mid-range kitchen transformation is around £20,000-£30,000 - but one woman has proved a house transformation doesn't necessarily require spending thousands. 2 2 Sarah B. was able to give her kitchen a mega overhaul under £250, thanks to shopping at the popular home goods store, B&Q. Thrilled with the DIY makeover, Sarah took to her TikTok page to share a before and after look at her jaw-dropping project - and it's left many open-mouthed. Before the epic glow-up, the council house kitchen was pretty basic, featuring standard light wooden cupboards, grey tile flooring and cream walls. But thanks to shopping smart and doing everything herself, Sarah was able to give the outdated room a fresh and modern feel. Breaking down the costs and sharing the steps, Sarah said: ''Can you believe we transformed this kitchen for under £250? ''Of course this didn't include accessories, but we already had most of this prior to moving. ''Our kitchen was due to be replaced in 2021 but hasn't been done as of yet so we were given free reign to "spruce it up" and that's exactly what we did!'' The DIY fan kicked off the process with cleaning the cupboards with sugar soap before going over the surface with Kitchen Cupboard Paint - Steamed Milk & All Green by Rust-Oleum. This matt paint set her back £46 and Sarah needed only two layers to achieve the perfect look she was after. Another rental-friendly tip Sarah shared was covering the old worktops with DC Fix - a self-adhesive vinyl wrap that's a cheap and cheerful way to spruce your kitchen with no faff. I transformed my council house hallway for under £60 - the old laminate has vanished but critics say it 'looks cheap' In the clip, the thrifty woman explained she used the wrap in Ribbeck Oak effect from B&Q, where it set her back £26 (or £13 per roll). Raving about the kitchen bargain, Sarah said in another video: ''It is durable and waterproof, the only thing you cannot do is put hot pans on it (yay for worktop protectors).'' She also shared top tips for achieving a smooth finish: ''Clean your worktops with sugar soap to remove any grease. How to do your council house up on the cheap Take inspiration from pricier shops and head to B&M, Home Bargains for interior decorations. Head to YouTube for easy to follow tutorials on how to decorate rather than paying for professionals. For a quick glow-up for your floors or anywhere with tiles, opt for stick-on vinyl to save on costs. A lick of paint does wonders to make a room feel brand-new. Switch out kitchen cupboard knobs for modern ones instead of buying brand-new cupboards. ''Lay the product out first to make sure you're happy with it. Once you remove the backing use a bank card or smoothing tool to get out any air bubbles. It can be removed easily to correct any errors. ''Make cuts as necessary, around the sink can be a little fiddly. I recommend using a hairdryer to seal around the edges. ''It can make it more stretchy and adheres better to those awkward spaces. ''Make sure you try and match the joins or hide them as best as possible. ''It is so easy to remove afterwards and just needs a quick clean to remove any residue.'' Rather than replacing the white splash-back tiles, Sarah gave them a brand new look creating a geometrical pattern with a gorgeous mustard-coloured paint that cost her £50. Another new feature in the jaw-dropping kitchen glow-up were GoodHome Dukkah Brass cupboard handles, £84 from B&Q. This brought the total costs to just £248 - significantly cheaper than forking out for a new, professionally-done kitchen. 'Unbelievable job' The video has since taken the internet by storm, winning Sarah close to 70k views, over 3,200 likes and more than 1,000 shares. Hundreds of social media users - a total of 322 - flooded to comments to praise Sarah for the DIY job and her skills. One viewer exclaimed: ''Honestly I think it's an absolute triumph!'' Another chimed in: ''Can I just say, I've literally copied ur [your] whole kitchen. went out and got the same vinyl and paint as u cuz I loved it that much!'' ''Unbelievable job tbh, tiles brought it all together,'' someone else thought. ''You make my heart glad because you have a vision and then make it happen without just chucking money about… honestly you have huge talent,'' a fourth wrote.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Russian millionaire blasted over 'Britain's most expensive council house' forced to make drastic move a year after listing four-bed semi for £3.5m
A Russian millionaire who tried to sell a London 'council house' for £3.5m has been forced to concede defeat and make a drastic u-turn. The ordinary-looking four-bed suburban property had attracted widespread mockery due to its eye-watering price tag when it was listed last year. But owner Lukov Nikolov refused to bow down claiming the fee was justified because he spent £1.4m renovating the property. When MailOnline visited the house this week, more than a year after it was put on the market, neighbours revealed the wealthy businessman had been forced 'move in himself' after failing to find a buyer. The house was built in the late 1950s and used by police officers relocating to work in London for the Met Police. But in every other respect it's equivalent to nearby council housing in style and size. Despite being unable to find househunters with deep enough pockets, Mr Nikolov has now listed another property on the same road for £3m. One resident told MailOnline: 'He's got another one too, just up the road, which has been on the market for a while. This was because he said spent £1.4m renovating the property in the leafy neighbourhood 'The [second property] is huge. It's got a basement, a cinema and all the rest of it. They've probably doubled the square footage. 'I think he probably moves between them.' When MailOnline approached Mr Nicolov's wife Srebrina at the property listed for sale we were no told no comment would be made. Mr Nikolov bought the first property for £1.2m in 2015 and began to renovate inside. He was able to dig down and create a new spacious basement 'flooded with natural light', which increased the properties' square footage by a third. The home now deceptively spreads over 3650sq ft of interior space and has four floors as well as its own cinema room, which, in the view of Mr Nikolov justified the £2.3million increase in value. Mr Nikolov's second property was bough for the cheaper fee of £878,000 before renovating it too. Properties in Canonbury sold for an overall average price of £934,290 in the last few years, according to RightMove, with the majority of sales being flats, which sold for an average price of £633,512. Terraced properties sold for an average of £1,659,972, with semi-detached properties fetching £3,873,333 - placing Mr Nikolov's property slightly below average. The price of homes in the family-friendly London neighbourhood also soared over the last few years by nine per cent. But even though prices are on the rise in the area, many of Mr Nikolov's neighbours thought he was being too optimistic when he first listed the property. One man told MailOnline at the time: 'That can't be right! If that sells for £3.5million, I will put my house on the market for £5million the next day. It won't sell for that much in a million years. 'They'll never get that, even with a basement put into it. His other property on the road is very nice, he put a lot of effort into the renovations. But £3million will be silly. 'Most of the little houses along here range from £1.3-1.8million depending on what they have done to them.' Another neighbour agreed, saying: 'That's not worth it for the price. They are smoking crack if they think they will get that amount!' But some of their friends think the Bulgarian may be on to a winner. One said: 'He's a nice guy and is always joking with people. 'I think it will sell for the price. People love this road, it doesn't feel like you live in London when you're here. Some of the houses along this road go for about £5million, so it's not the most expensive place here. 'If you renovate properly, you can easily double the value of your home here.'
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Gran, 48, faces eviction from her three-bed council house after spending £30k on garden makeover without planning permission
A grandmother fears she faces eviction from her council house after spending £30k on a garden makeover without planning permission. Renata Mahmoud, 48, has lived in the three-bed council property in Moulsecoomb, East Sussex for 19 years and raised her three children there. The semi-detached property boasts a large back garden but it became overgrown and, after one of her children was injured playing, she decided to transform the space. Ms Mahmoud saved up and in 2023 building work began to level out the slope into a three-tier patio. She told the MailOnline: 'The garden before was awful, you couldn't do anything, no gardener would do it. You have to make it level, so I've been asking the council for years, please could you help me out to make it level. 'I was asking them, saying "I don't want you to make it nice, I just want you to help me to start off, to do the level, I don't want you to design for me". 'They gave me nothing towards it. Their response was: "No, I'm sorry the council doesn't have any money, it's the tenants' responsibility." That was their answer. 'I made a lovely garden and they've ordered me to take it down. It's very depressing as I don't know if I can afford to, we could sleep on the streets because of this.' Ms Mahmoud said the work has cost her £30,000 which included cutting back trees and levelling and laying down a patio. She continued: 'My neighbour was very happy, he doesn't want all the weeds coming in too his garden from my one. People were joking: "Finally, the nutter's doing something!" 'I didn't know I had to apply for planning permission and I am sorry. But I can't just put it back like it was. It was dangerous, it was very hilly, all it had sorts of bricks, broken, metals, foxes and snakes. 'They should've been happy that one of their council tenants was trying to improve their property. This house is my precious, you know, and I will do anything to do something nice. You know, my heart's there. My home. 'We will sleep on the streets if we're evicted.' Her neighbour Michael Bundock, 53, said he couldn't understand the council's position. He said: 'I've been in constant dialogue with her, I've been helping her. 'With her first language being Polish, it's hard for her to quite understand at times what they're saying. 'She's lived there for 19 years and we've been here for 20 years, so we know her well, she's never been a bother at all. 'It was a state before, it was brambles, weeds, bricks and glass - they're all the same. And she did ask for help, she did ask for help for a long time, because she had small children growing up and nothing was done for her. 'I would rather look at a nice garden than have a mess next door to me. That's for sure.' Despite his reservations, Ms Mahmoud is still facing spending thousands returning the garden to the original state. Mr Bundock continued: 'It seems a bit extreme doesn't it. 'Because she's tried working with them, and she's been to mediation, but they're not giving at all. 'It'd cost thousands, it's always like this. I feel sorry for her. 'I mean how can you evict someone for making a nice garden? She's been told for years "tidy up your garden, tidy up your garden", then she does the gardens and they say, "we'll evict you if you don't want to put it back." 'It doesn't make sense; why be jealous of someone else's kingdom?' A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: 'This matter has been referred to the courts and that we consider the resident to be in breach of their tenancy agreement. 'Eviction is always a last resort. There are no current plans to proceed with eviction at this stage. 'We're just keen to find a resolution to the issues created with the property.'
