Couple spend just £12,000 transforming damp and dated Cheshire cottage into dream forever home

A couple have unveiled how they managed to transform a tired, worn-out cottage into their forever home with a tight £12,000 budget. Stacey and Ryan Forrester bought the property in Cheshire back in 2020 after starting a family and outgrowing their first home.

The pair saw potential in the cottage due to its period features and ideal location and, despite it being run-down and outdated, they followed their vision to turn it into their dream home. Stacey, 34, wanted to give the home a cosy rustic look but with a small budget of just £12,000, the mum-of-two knew she needed to be DIY-savvy when it came to renovating.

Stacey and Ryan also ran into some problems along the way, such as discovering damp and mould in the property, which meant that their budget was quickly getting eaten away and the couple had their work cut out.

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“We first viewed our soon-to-be forever home in January 2020. Although it was very dated and the layout didn’t really work for our lifestyle, we could see it had so much potential," the mum-of-two told Cartwright & Butler.

"We love period properties and cottage style, and with it being across the road from our kids’ school, we decided to take the plunge and go for it.”

Although a lot of work was needed to transform the property, Stacey and her husband Ryan decided to borrow just £12,000 to cover the renovations.

“We borrowed £12k for all of the renovations. We knew that this would be pretty tight for the work that needed doing," Stacey said.

"Within the budget, we wanted to get a lot of major work done. This included completely renovating the kitchen and bathroom, changing