Reclining in her hot tub, Jade Ashton, 32, takes a sip of her margarita and surveys her back garden with pride.
As well as a newly built ‘entertainment area’ complete with deck which looks back towards the house, a hot tub and sunbathing area it also boasts its very own bar, fully stocked with spirits and soft drinks and decked out with stools and tables.
The garden lawn is immaculate and the entertainment zone is decked out in fairy lights, candles and deck chairs.
Her garden cost a whopping £8000 and wouldn’t look out of place in the grounds of a luxury mansion – but in fact, Jade lives in a two-bed council semi in Dudley, West Mids.
Like her garden, the inside has been completely renovated, with a bright pink Barbie-inspired kitchen, a custom-made ‘cloud’ ceiling, state-of-the-art smart lighting, and a £4500 sofa.
“I’ve spent 11 years and £20,000 turning a manky, grubby shell into a luxury home with all the mod cons,” says Jade, a nanny and single mum to TJ, 11, and 15-month-old Vinnie.
“I know critics will think it’s a waste of money, renovating a rented council house, but I like feeling proud of my home. I want it to be on trend, and to give my kids a gorgeous space to live in.
“If I rented privately, I could never afford a place like this. The fact that I’m only paying £380 a month rent means I’m living a millionaire’s lifestyle on a council house budget. I love it.
“I’m also doing the council and taxpayers a favour by improving and upgrading the property!”
Jade was 18 and studying for a degree in early childhood studies when she discovered she was pregnant.
“I had polycystic ovarian syndrome and was told I’d never conceive. It was a real shock but I was thrilled,” she says.
Still living at home and unable to afford private rental, she immediately put her name down for a council house. Just five months later, in January 2011, she got the keys.
“It was a dump. The carpets had been ripped up, there was wallpaper peeling off the walls, and the bathroom smelt. It needed a complete makeover, so I decided to prove a council house could be a castle,” she says.
Over the coming years, as well as completing her degree , a Bachelor of Arts, with hours win early childhood studies Jade set about renovating and decorating her new home as cheaply as she could.
“I spent hundreds of hours stripping every wall. I ripped out the derelict fireplace, watched hours of YouTube videos and learnt to lay tiles myself, install laminate flooring and get a high-end paint finish on the walls,” she says.
“I bought high-end silver glitter wallpaper for one feature wall costing £100 and installed a new cream fireplace, which I got on discount for £100
Jade's made her home look so nice... here's her top tips to help you do it on the cheap
1. Teach yourself how to decorate using You Tube videos
2. Buy items from clearance and sample stores
3. Know what colour scheme you want – it makes buying paint and wall paper easier
4. Use local artists to decorate feature walls.
5. Everyone can apply for a council house – make sure you are on the list
6. Take photos of 5* hotel features you like ans research how to make them yourself.
“When I moved in, the bathroom was an absolute mess, it was old and smelt.
“The council wouldn’t replace it, so I found a £350 bathroom set on sale at B&Q, ripped out the old one, and a friend helped me to install it. I found expensive grey tiles in the sale for £50 from a clearance store and put them up myself.
“The bathroom has a posh-hotel feel now. When I show people photos, they don’t believe it’s a council house bathroom.”
As well as putting together her Barbie-inspired kitchen, which she bought a fridge , pink toaster, pink kettle and a range of pink coloured kitchen appliances.
Jade had a well-known graffiti artist decorate a wall in her son’s room for £100, and created her own 3-D ‘cloud’ ceiling using strip lighting and pillow filler.
“I saw it in a five-star hotel once and loved it, so I made them myself for just £100. I also installed Alexa Show cameras throughout, as well as app-controlled lighting. I wanted all the mod cons.
“My living room is currently on its fourth makeover – it now has a pink and cream theme. My £4,500 sofa was the biggest luxury, but I saved up and put some of the cost on a credit card. It’s worth every penny.
“As for my garden, it needed a complete makeover. I wanted it to be a place I could entertain, so my family helped build the bar and decking and install the hot tub. It’s perfect for parties and great for the kids.
“It’s also proof that council house gardens are not all full of junk and never cared for. I’m proud to break the social stigma,” she says.
“Just because you rent a council home doesn’t mean you can’t renovate or add to it.”
In the coming years, Jade plans to swap to a three-bedroom council house, which she then hopes to buy one day under the right-to-buy scheme.
“I would not be able to buy it if I was renting privately.
“This way I can and prove council houses can be castles,” she says.
“Many of my friends moved straight out of home when they finished school into private rental, but everyone is entitled to apply for council housing. If you don’t put yourself on the list, you are bonkers!
“I won’t be criticised or told I don’t deserve mine. People have got to stop thinking all council house renters are lazy and won’t work.
“I deserve this house – and I also deserve to make it luxurious for my family.”
