The DREAM Victorian Terrace extension + how to approach your project
I'm so excited to share a couple of sneak peeks from my student Michelle's London Victorian Terrace renovation with you today.
This was one of the most rewarding projects to witness unfold - because it had to be one the fastest renovations I’d seen any of my students achieve. With the quality remaining high and the interior finishes affordably selected...
...so if you're looking to renovate your home in a similar way to Michelle’s, I have so much to share.
Stick the kettle on, it's a juicy one ☕️😅
Michelle’s Victorian Terrace Kitchen Extension
Michelle's build started in 2025 and finished early 2026.
It was a mammoth project undergoing a complete facelift to the rear, with a single story extension, a loft conversion and internal remodel that included 3 new bathrooms.
Michelle first started working with us via our online course and community where we taught her ways to manage the project, her budget and the mistakes to avoid...
Everything ran super smoothly except when contractor quoted £50,000 more than he originally ball-parked - thankfully Michelle quickly caught that red flag. She put all her learnings from the course & support from the community in practice and was able to swerve dodgy tradesmen.
Michelle’s Victorian Terrace - Before
I remember when we first met in person at Michelle’s property in London before the renovation started. Michelle had printed out property listings and neighbouring floor plans to talk through, showing me the folder that she kept all of her notes and plans within.
Her dedication to successfully completing this project was a match with my excitement for it and I was ecstatic that she’d booked me for some 1-on-1 interior design and layout guidance alongside the renovation course access.
Michelle’s Victorian Terrace - After
On a personal level, it was one of the most thrilling projects I've worked on – for many reasons – but a big one was because it was Michelle’s ambition to complete the renovation in under 9 months. For a project this scale, and considering Michelle lived at the property for some time during the build, that was an ambitious goal. But truthfully, it was one of those “if you never try, you never know” moments. We went for it!
When renovations have rapidly approaching deadlines and a tight budget like this one, it meant that plans had to be in place ASAP and there was no margin for error. Michelle couldn’t afford to run into mistakes - it could set the whole project back.
So some evenings and weekends were spent pouring over layout options, forecasting costs, building the design vision and creating specifics like the lighting & electrical plans. The course helped her meticulously consider her options and gather the plans to pass over to the contractor so work could begin rapidly.
You’ve heard me say this a million times if you’ve watched my Youtube videos or read articles on our website… a renovation needs detailed, holistic planning before you start gathering quotes. The opportunities you miss, and the problems that start to unravel mid-build when you don’t have a strong plan to guide your team, could cost you a lot of money to fix (and piles on the stress).
It’s something I help all my students prepare accurately, including Michelle. And the finish they’re able to achieve is proof the method works.
For Michelle’s project specifically, key to the success was staying within budget with her interior finishes.
And I wanted to address this because I know what you might think, "surely this must have cost a small fortune" 🤯
The level of structural work made this project higher cost than your average, but the interior design finishes had to be completed with smaller, more modest budget. It’s not prohibitively expensive to achieve an interior style like this if you’ve only got a small pot...
And truthfully, a lot of clients I work with have sizeable budgets for structural changes and not a lot allocated for the interior design itself (kitchens, bathrooms, flooring etc). So we have to rein in spend.
Balancing price, affordability & quality
Because Michelle was living in the property whilst the work was happening, it was crucial that the renovation was completed on time and within budget.
Michelle used our online course to manage the budget and timeline, expertly – meanwhile, I poured my heart and soul into creating layout options and design finishes to make sure her budget was spread well across the property.
We had multiple rooms to design, but the heart of the home - the kitchen extension - was the area Michelle was particularly keen to get right and where we focused the largest portion of her budget.
We leaned on cost-effective suppliers like DIY Kitchens, Quorn Stone and Dunelm to strike a balance between affordable vs high end.
The result was a calm, functional and timeless family space that has increased the resale factor of her property and enhanced her life.
How can your renovation level-up your life?
Neil and I are constantly supporting renovators with small and large spaces through our online courses - showing them how to easily and quickly produce cohesive design plans (following virtually the same design process I use for clients).
And one important aspect I encourage students to think about is how their home design can positively impact their daily life. To dream big, and ask yourself;
What if your home could be your dream place? What would it look like?
If you loved everything inside it, what would feature?
What if walking around your home filled you with pride and happiness instead of glumness? What difference would that bring to your mood and life?
What if every room was designed with purpose and made you feel happy every day?
I ask students these questions because I know the positive snowball effect having a calm, organised, inspiring environment has on your wellbeing.
When Neil and I went to visit Michelle and saw her home beautifully finished, we saw the impact having a home you love has had on Michelle’s life.
Michelle’s new home has enhanced her life in many ways:
She hosts family comfortably, entertains and creates life-long memories
The views from her kitchen overlooking her garden, create a sense of stillness in a busy, London environment
She’s able to work from home feeling inspired, with a built-in coffee machine in easy reach, and well insulated walls to dull sounds of city life happening on her doorstep
I imagine Michelle has days where things don't go to plan, as we all do. But shaping her environment to suit her needs, having beautifully designed and organised spaces, brings an element of calm and resilience.
She's not just levelled up her home, she's levelled up her life.
There are so many stories and other areas of this project I can't wait to show you, but if you got this far, thank you for reading and being here.
If you're feeling like you'd like support to create your dream home, I would love to help you.
We're opening enrolments for our online renovation course soon
Plus, I have a Kitchen Design Pack if you want access to all of the suppliers we use and more - there are pre-curated schemes ready for you to apply to your space
I hope you've enjoyed this post and I’m wishing you all the best for your project ahead.
Rooting for you,
Fi xoxo
