Heather Roberts and Anya Hughes are two young feminists who happen to love home renovation. They turned their first apartment into chic living quarters and saved upwards of $10,000 in the process. In May 2024, the Gallaghers purchased the property for $178,686. Though it didn’t raise bids on the auction block initially, they recognized its greater promise.
Heather Roberts, president of the feminist society at her university, definitely goes all out on redoing her new apartment with paint and decor. She approaches this massive job with vigor and positivity. She spent three weeks on the road solely to paint, and in addition to painting was spending upwards of 30 hours a week on renovations. The experience and damage feminists face was front and centre for Anya Hughes, who led the feminist society at their university, as her sister organized.
The apartment presented its challenges. One day during one of their DIY wall decorating sessions, Anya turned around and accidentally knocked a wall decoration off, and it fell to the floor. The sisters have met each challenge with grit and ingenuity.
In order to support their ongoing renovation efforts, Roberts and Hughes reached out to local businesses. Brewers paint and decorators generously supplied most of the paint for free, while Tile Warehouse provided discounted tiles for the project. Through their joint work with these companies, their collective cost was greatly cut, allowing them to concentrate on making an inviting home.
At first, Roberts imagined bringing in professional assistance would break the bank. She soon realized her do-it-yourself philosophy would cost them a small fortune. “If I couldn’t ask a person, I’d ask ChatGPT,” Roberts explained. She utilized the AI tool to create a shopping list for B&Q for the porch renovation, showcasing how technology can play a vital role in modern renovations.
Roberts said that a lot of their inspiration came directly from social media sites like TikTok. “A lot of it we found on TikTok but there’s so much out there,” she said. She even recognized the importance of deep diving into YouTube for education to help inform and drive their projects.
Roberts and Hughes received various tools from Ryobi to assist them with their final snag list. This additional support helped them approach their ambitious DIY renovations with confidence.
With all the challenges and time commitment considered, Roberts and Hughes emerged from the process with a deep sense of fulfillment from their journey. In fact, they estimate that by doing the renovations themselves, their family saved an impressive $10,210. Their diligent effort did wonders to their condo. Beyond that, it really gave them agency as young women who were in control of what their living space looked like.
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