Lounging in the hot tub, Jade Ashton, 32, takes a sip of her margarita and looks out proudly at her back garden.
As well as a newly built ‘entertainment area’ complete with a terrace looking back towards the house, hot tub and sunbathing area, it also boasts its own bar, fully stocked with spirits and soft drinks and decorated chairs and tables.
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Jade is proud of her beautiful home Credit: Jade Ashton
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He likes to relax in the hot tub
The garden lawn is immaculate and the entertainment area is decorated with fairy lights, candles and deckchairs.
Her garden cost a staggering £8,000 and wouldn’t look out of place in the garden of a luxury mansion – but in fact, Jade lives in a two-bed semi-detached house in Dudley, West Mids.
Like her garden, the interior has been completely renovated, with a hot pink Barbie-inspired kitchen, a custom-made cloud-shaped ceiling, state-of-the-art smart lighting and a £4,500 sofa.
“I spent 11 years and £20,000 turning a dingy, dirty shell into a luxury home with all the mod cons,” says Jade, nanny and single mum to TJ, 11, and 15-month-old Vinnie.
Critics criticize her for the renovation
“I know critics will think it’s a waste of money, renovating a rented council house, but I like to feel proud of my home. I want it to be trendy and to give my children a wonderful place to live.
“If I rented privately, I could never afford a place like this. The fact that I only pay £380 a month in rent means I’m living the life of a millionaire on a council house budget. I like that.
“I’m also doing the council and ratepayers a favor by improving and upgrading the property!”
Jade was 18 and studying early childhood studies when she discovered she was pregnant.
“I had polycystic ovary syndrome and was told I would never get pregnant. It was a real shock, but I was delighted,” she says.
Still living at home and unable to afford private rent, she immediately put her name on the council house. Just five months later, in January 2011, she received the keys.
I’m a mother of six in a two bed public flat – I have 3 kids in a room and one bed is in a wardrobe but it works for me
“It was a dump. The carpets were torn, the wallpaper was peeling from the walls, and the bathroom stank. It needed to be completely remodeled, so I decided to prove that a council house can be a castle,” she says.
Over the coming years, as well as completing her degree, a Bachelor of Arts, with hours of early childhood studies, Jade set about renovating and decorating her new home as cheaply as she could.
“I spent hundreds of hours taking down every wall. I tore out a neglected fireplace, watched hours of YouTube videos, and taught myself how to tile, install laminate, and paint walls with top-of-the-line paint,” she says.
“I bought a superb silver glitter wallpaper for one particular wall which cost £100 and installed a new cream fireplace, which I got on sale for £100
Jade’s top renovation tips
Jade made her home look so beautiful… here are her top tips to help you do it on the cheap
1. Learn how to decorate using You Tube videos
2. Shop for items at clearance and sample stores
3. Know what color scheme you want – this makes shopping for paint and wallpaper easier
4. Use local artists to decorate the walls.
5. Anyone can apply for a council house – make sure you’re on the list
6. Take photos of 5* hotels you like and explore how to make them yourself.
“When I moved in, the bathroom was a complete mess, old and smelly.
“The council didn’t want to replace it, so I found a £350 bathroom suite on sale at B&Q, ripped out the old one and a friend helped me fit it. I found expensive gray tiles on sale for £50 from clearance and fitted them myself.
“The bathroom now has the impression of a fancy hotel. When I show people the photos, they don’t believe it’s a council house bathroom.”
As well as putting together her Barbie-inspired kitchen, for which she bought a fridge, a pink toaster, a pink kettle and a range of pink kitchen appliances.
A modern bedroom for her son
Jade had a famous graffiti artist decorate a wall in her son’s room for £100 and created her own 3-D cloud ceiling using strip lights and cushion filler.
“I saw it once in a five-star hotel and loved it, so I made them myself for just £100. I also installed Alexa Show cameras everywhere as well as app controlled lighting. I wanted all the fashion flaws.
“My living room is currently on its fourth makeover – it’s pink and cream now. My £4,500 three-seater was the ultimate luxury, but I saved up and put some of the cost on a credit card. Worth every penny.
“As for my garden, it needed a complete makeover. I wanted it to be a place where I could entertain, so my family helped build the bar and floors and install the hot tub. It’s perfect for parties and great for kids.
City halls are not just garbage
“It is also proof that council house gardens are not all littered and never taken care of. I am proud to break the social stigma,” she says.
“Just because you’re renting a council house doesn’t mean you can’t renovate or add to it.”
In the coming years, Jade plans to trade for a three-bedroom council house, which she hopes to one day buy under the Right to Buy scheme.
“I wouldn’t have been able to buy it if I was renting privately.
I’m hitting back at the haters
“This way I can prove that council houses can be castles,” she says.
“Many of my friends moved straight out of their house into a private apartment after finishing school, but everyone has the right to apply for a municipal apartment. If you don’t put yourself on the list, you’re crazy!
“I won’t be criticized or told that I don’t deserve what I have. People need to stop thinking that all council house landlords are lazy and won’t work.
“I deserve this house – and I also deserve to make it luxurious for my family.”
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She has a bar in her house
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Her living room, which is decorated in pink Credit: Jade Ashton
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Jade has a fancy dining room Credit: Jade Ashton
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She doesn’t let the trolls upset her
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education