Woman renovates council toilet for £3,000
A single mother has captured the attention of social media users after transforming the bathroom of her newly acquired council house into a stylish, hotel-like space. Moving into the property with her young child just three months ago, she embarked on a complete renovation and documented the process on her TikTok channel, Hauseofbeige. The bathroom makeover quickly gained traction, amassing over one million views.
The content creator managed to turn the space into a modern and comfortable bathroom within just five days, spending approximately £3,000 on the project. In her captions, she shared her vision: “I want my council bathroom to look like a dreamy hotel bathroom, is that possible? Well if you have a vision… Bring it to life!”
The transformation involved uncovering a hidden wall of tiles beneath the existing ones, which allowed her to add a small amount of extra space to the room after they were removed. The work included installing a new bath, laying fresh tiles and grout, and fitting new fixtures such as a toilet, vanity unit, shower, screen, and taps.
Ambient lighting installed behind the mirror further enhanced the sophisticated atmosphere, creating a stark contrast with the bathroom’s previous condition. Viewers in the comments were quick to praise the transformation, with one user writing, “This is STUNNING!”, while another added, “Looks amazing.” Another comment said, “It’s giving rich and expensive.”
The content creator explained in the comments that she spent “under 4k [£4,000]” on the transformation. When asked about the cost, she clarified that it was actually £3,000. She also revealed that she had the help of a plumber and a tiler, though the plumber was “free of charge.” According to Checkatrade, the average cost of a new bathroom installation is £7,000, meaning Hauseofbeige was able to redo her own bathroom at almost half the cost.
Other commenters were curious about how she managed to carry out the work on a house she doesn’t own. One user asked, “How does it work with a council house? You rent it but you can do it up if you want?” Another wrote, “Did the council not mind you doing this?? I didn’t know you could change stuff so much.”
Legal considerations for council tenants
While many applaud such efforts, council tenants seeking to carry out substantial modifications must navigate legal and procedural requirements. Tenants may undertake alterations at their own cost, but are generally required to secure written consent from their local council before beginning work, particularly when structural changes or major fixture installations are involved.
Failure to obtain the correct permissions can result in enforcement actions, including being ordered to return the property to its original state at the tenant’s expense. Various local councils provide secure tenants with pathways to request approval for home improvements, typically granting permission subject to specific conditions. Councils retain the authority to remove unauthorized changes if deemed necessary.
UK legislation, such as Section 101 of the Housing Act 1985 and the Secure Tenants of Local Authorities (Compensation for Improvements) Regulations 1994, establishes frameworks allowing tenants to seek compensation for qualifying improvements made lawfully once their tenancy ends.
Hauseofbeige added that she received a £100 DIY voucher when she moved in, which went towards home improvement costs.
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