When it comes to property renovations, it’s very tempting to get everything done at once, blowing your bank balance in the process.
But for Katrina Rae and her husband Mark, they’re taking their time to meticulously transform the characterful bungalow they bought in Sanday Road into their forever home.
Passionate about DIY, upcycling and all things interiors, Katrina shares their home renovation journey so far.
Sandy Road
Who: Katrina Rae, 29, who works in HR, her husband Mark, 37, a landscape gardener and their one-year-old daughter Rosie.
What: Three bedroom bungalow.
Where: Sanday Road, Aberdeen. Off King’s Gate/Hazlehead area.
As told to Rosemary Lowne
“If you looked at our house on the outside you’d probably think it was a little bit ugly.
In fact when I showed my husband photos of it online, he said ‘absolutely not, there’s way too much work that needs done’. But I convinced him to visit it with me and when we did, we fell in love with the space and potential it had. It’s a seventies style bungalow but there’s a floored loft upstairs which we thought would be the ideal space to create two bedrooms and a bathroom. We also liked that the house had a bit of character and the garden is huge. Previously we lived in a two-bedroom, mid terraced house in Dyce which we renovated. We knew this property would be a huge project but we bought it in January 2021 with the vision to complete it in five years.
So far we’ve finished the little nursery for our daughter Rosie, the bathroom and some of the garden. Currently the bungalow has three bedrooms and one bathroom but when it’s finished there will be four bedrooms and two bathrooms. At the moment, the back two bedrooms are being extended to create an open plan kitchen, living and dining room. We’ll also add two bedrooms and a bathroom in the floored loft area and downstairs we also want to create a front snug/lounge area, an entrance hall, utility room and a garden room where my home office will be.
When I travelled to Norway for work, I fell in love with the Scandinavian style houses and décor so a lot of my inspiration comes from that. In Rosie’s nursery I’ve used an auburn colour but I’ve balanced it with light woods and whites to brighten it up and give it more of a modern vibe. I used paint from Lick (pink 01 and red 03) as their colours are gorgeous. I also love the fact that they have peel and stick paint samples so it’s less hassle. For the bathroom, I’ve went for a more industrial look using dark tiles and concrete effect LVT tiles as I wanted this space to feel cosy.
In terms of furniture, I try to find second hand pieces online because it’s cheaper. Facebook market place is great. Rosie’s cot was second hand and I bought a little moses basket which I upcycled and made into a changing matt for her. I also got her a little Ikea kitchen for about £15 which I painted so now it looks brand new. I also love Aldi for garden furniture as I got an amazing rattan style sun lounger chair and solar lights from there. We’ve also got a nice outdoor sofa set from Asda.
As Mark is a landscape gardener, he was able to dig out the whole garden and levelled the bottom area off before laying turf. We’ve also created a rustic style porcelain tile patio area using tiles from Caledonian Stone who are based in Peterhead.
My advice for anyone who is thinking about renovating a property is just to go for it as there’s so much potential in buying a house that needs a little bit of TLC. Being able to put your own stamp and your own mark on it is just incredible. My top tip would be to live in the space for a while before you do anything to it as you can see what rooms get light and can work out if the layout works for you.
For more information check out Katrina’s Instagram page @homewiththeraes
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