SERC Lecturer Michael and Wife Laura "Home of the Year"Finalists

SERC Biology Lecturer Michael Holmes and his wife Laura recently appeared on “Home of The Year”. 

The opportunity came around when one of the shows researchers found Laura’s Instagram (dixiesyard) and came for a visit. She loved the house so much she brought it to the attention of the producers who then chose Michael and Laura for the show.  

Speaking about their house and the renovation project they undertook, Michael said, “The process was quite a long one as we did work to the house in stages, first discussion options with an architect friend. We then got drawings/plans and went through planning. Nothing happened for a few months until the plans were approved and building commenced. Looking back, it was an exciting time. 

“Laura has loved interior design since she was a kid. Her favourite show was Changing Rooms. We bought our first house in 2015 and enjoyed renovating, redecorating, and making it our own. When we moved to this house it was a blank canvas that required a great deal of work! It gave us the opportunity to mould it into the house we wanted which was awesome. Being able to add personality to each room was fun but exhausting! It is great to have a lovely period home with our own stamp on it. 

Staying within budget was the biggest challenge of the renovation, Michael said, “We were on a very tight budget, so we searched high and low for bargains. There are great deals on Ebay, Amazon, Gumtree, Facebook marketplace and the IKEA ex display area. We even got an original Victorian cast iron bath from an architectural salvage yard. It was living in a field when we found it but nothing a drop of paint and some re-enamelling couldn't fix. 

“Both Laura and I are creative people, so we have no problem coming up with ideas. Having an open mind can also be a great way to save money. Sometimes you can repurpose or upcycle items fairly cheaply and give them a new lease of life. Often it adds something a bit different to your home that other houses won't have

Michael concluded, “This house was an awesome project to work on. I think it has given us both the confidence to maybe go a little further in the future. We would love to build our own house one day or maybe renovate a much older house, though that won't be for a good while yet!” 

If you would like to watch the episode five of this years’ Home of The Year which featured Michael and Laura’s home, you can do so by clicking here.

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