Some of us dread nothing more than doing a bit of DIY, while others thrive on the challenge.
Saffy Yousaf, 42, falls into the latter category.
That’s why he has spent seven years renovating the Broughty Ferry villa he shares with his wife Razwana and sons Isa, 19, and Zak, 14.
The once “unloved and rundown” rental property has been transformed into a glamourous and stylish family home.
Saffy says the poor condition of the former buy-to-let was reflected in the asking price when it went on the market in 2017, making it an attractive financial opportunity.
Located on Marlee Street, the three-bed villa is also ideally located within walking distance of Forthill Primary School and Grove Academy, where his boys were students at the time.
Now, keen to upsize, Saffy and Razwana have put the house on the market with an asking price of £255,000.
They have added considerable value and appeal to the property since moving in in 2017.
This it how they did it.
The kitchen and dining/living room
The kitchen was their number one priority.
“The first thing we did was replace the kitchen,” Saffy says. “We ordered a new kitchen before we even got the house.
“We wanted one that had all integrated appliances so that it looked cleaner.”
Upon moving in, Saffy and Razwana decided to knock the wall down between the dining room and the living room to create a large open plan space.
This was a big job, with the wall, doors, floor and skirting boards all lifted up.
But it paid off.
“I spend most of my time in the living room,” Saffy says.
“It’s a nice big room that stretches from the front of the house to the back of the house, with doors that lead onto the outdoor patio.
“It is a great chill-out space.”
The couple made bold decor choices, with opulent floral wallpaper and a plush red rug with matching swivel chairs.
With a flat screen TV and enormous chaise longue sofa, the room is perfect for both entertaining and relaxing.
The bathrooms
Next, Saffy and Razwana brought in a team to strip out and replace the family bathroom, en-suite and downstairs W/C.
Then they replaced the plumbing system – a “messy job” which required the floors to come up.
They took this opportunity to install new flooring throughout the house, opting for thick carpets upstairs and wood effect LVT flooring downstairs.
They also installed new vertical radiators in every room – a nifty space-saving hack.
Two years later, after replenishing their savings, Saffy and Razwana decided to improve the home’s pavement appeal.
They started with the driveway.
Saffy says: “The driveway at the time was half laid out like a really bad lawn and the other half was a broken up old driveway.
“It just didn’t look very good.
“We wanted something plain and simple so we decided to tarmac the whole area.”
Then they replaced the fencing and power-washed the building to renew the appearance of the brickwork.
The garden
The pair then turned their attention to the garden.
Saffy says: “Our back garden was grass with a path running up the middle to an old shed in the corner.
“We took this shed down and replaced it with a new one.
“Then we had all the grass taken up and put down artificial turf.
“I’m not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination so I just wanted something that was easy maintenance.”
Finally, they laid a patio, where they enjoy relaxing on garden furniture in the summer.
The finishing touches – including DIY wood panelling
More recently, with a view to putting the house on the market, Saffy added some finishing touches.
Inspired by a DIY trend he saw on social media, he learned how to install wood panelling himself.
“I saw a few Instagram reels on wood panelling,” he says. “It’s the new ‘in’ thing.
“I thought it would give it a modern look, so I did some in the porch, hallway, living room and dining room.
“This came out quite nice.”
Saffy also replaced the pendant lights on the ground floor with spotlights.
He says: “The pendants were lovely but every time you stood up you banged your head off them – which was annoying.
“And whilst they looked nice, they weren’t great at lighting the space up.”
He also repainted the interiors, opting for neutral colours such as Egyptian cotton and baby grey.
‘Having the right tradesmen makes your life so much easier’
Alongside his day job as a reconciliations manager for NCR Financial Solutions in Dundee, Saffy runs a portfolio of buy-to-let properties in the city.
He buys neglected homes before “doing bits and pieces to them” and renting them out.
As a seasoned renovator, does he have any advice for those about to embark on their own journey?
“Make sure you’ve got good tradesmen,” he says.
“I’ve had various stuff done in my rental properties over the years, and it you don’t have good tradesmen then your job won’t come out as you envisioned it in your head.
“I’m fortunate because I have, over the years, built up a good list of contacts.
“So whenever I need a job done, I know exactly who to contact.
“Having the right people makes your life so much easier.
“You can trust them to get on with it.”
- Have you renovated your property? We would love to hear from you. Email poppy.watson@dcthomson.co.uk to be featured.
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