Budget Breakdown: This London Couple Did the Dirty Work to Keep Renovation Costs Low

"We wanted our home to feel intentional and considered—to create a beautiful space that felt soaring and encompassing, even with a modest plot," says Rowan Rutter of her and her wife Jenny Warren’s recent renovation in Leyton, East London. Rowan, the CEO of an orchestra, and Jenny, a law firm partner, spent $247,607 in total to makeover the second level of their residence and extend and redo the ground level. "We used the equity from the sale of our previous home, as well as a small bank loan," says Rowan.

The couple knew from the start that the 1930s three-bed terrace was right for them, despite the smell of cat urine, stale cigarettes, and other unsavory scents. "It was so bad that the estate agent refused to enter the home to show us round," Jenny remembers. But like the old adage, "one man’s trash," the couple saw the good: large windows, well-proportioned rooms, tall ceilings, and a prime location. Friends of theirs were already living on the block, which had a community feel. "We effectively bought the worst house on the best street," says Rowan. "Structurally it was sound, but it was derelict and hadn’t been renovated since the ’70s, and lacked modern electrical and plumbing."