We bought our first home & gave it a mega makeover – we found 100-year-old flooring under the old red carpets worth £12k
A WOMAN has revealed that she and her partner bought their first home, a four bedroom semi-detached property, and were left totally stunned when they ripped up the carpet.
First-time buyers Anya Clements, 22, a DIY enthusiast, and her partner Calum Jones, 28, bought their home last August.
Since then, the couple have started giving their Cardiff home a full renovation and have taken to social media to show off a before and after look at the space.
After moving into their “fixer upper”, Anya and Calum began making changes throughout their home while trying to stay on a budget.
That’s when the first time buyers hit the renovation jackpot.
Throughout the home was old carpet that the couple decided to rip up.
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After ripping up her “ugly red carpet”, the 22-year-old was shocked to find luxury oak parquet flooring covering the entire downstairs floor.
Anya, a content creator, confirmed that they were later informed that the flooring was worth £12,000 - yes, you heard that correctly.
Posting on social media, Anya wrote: “POV / You find £12,000 under your carpets! £12,000 of oak parquet flooring.”
Parquet flooring is timeless - it’s been around since the 16th century.
In the 1930s, carpet provided a much cheaper flooring alternative, and parquet became less popular.
However, it has seen quite a revival in recent decades due to the many benefits it offers - from durability to low maintenance.
Oak parquet flooring can typically cost between £20-£80 per sq.
Anya later revealed: “I was over the moon. We saved lots of time and money by not getting new flooring and it was the floor we were going to get there anyways."
Anya was initially unsure of the floor’s true value, so decided to get a second opinion.
She continued: "I felt speechless. I didn’t realise flooring could cost so much.
“The floor was beautiful and similar to what we were going to put there so we fell in love with it.”
The couple then got to work on bringing the flooring back to life, as she explained: “We have started to sand it by hand and varnish it ourselves.
“Hand-sanding takes a lot of time and effort but we are aiming to do as much as the renovation ourselves to keep the cost down.
“The £12k flooring hasn’t cost us a penny."
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @a.nya.c, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 35,800 views.
Social media users were shocked at the couple’s discovery and many took to the comments to express this.
One person said: “What a find, beautiful.”
Another added: “WHY WOULD THEY COVER THIS UP WITH CARPET? ARE PEOPLE CRAZY? It looks beautiful now.”
Meanwhile, at the same time, someone else penned: “Wish this kinda thing happened to me. All I got was botched DIY jobs.”
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Whilst another claimed: “We found some too, had it sanded, came out amazing. Not very durable though.”
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