A single mother has won admiration on social media after transforming the bathroom of her recently acquired council house into a stylish, hotel-suite-like space.
Moving into the property with her young child only three months ago, she undertook a full refurbishment and shared the process on her TikTok channel, Hauseofbeige, where the bathroom makeover attracted over one million views.
The content creator transformed the space into a modern and comfortable bathroom within a tight timeframe of just five days, and revealed she spent around £3,000 on the job.
Writing in the captions, the creator said: ‘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 discovering a hidden wall of tiles beneath the existing ones, which allowed her to add a small amount of extra room to the space 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, marking a stark contrast with the bathroom’s prior condition.
Viewers in the comments were quick to praise the transformation, with one user writing: ‘This is STUNNING!’, while another added, ‘Looks amazing’.
One more user said: ‘It’s giving rich and expensive’.
The content creator explained in the comments that she spent ‘under 4k [£4,000]’ on the transformation.
Replying to several other users who asked how much it cost, she commented ‘3k [£3,000]’. She also revealed that she had the help of a plumber and a tiler, but that 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 to know how she had managed to carry out the work on a house she doesn’t own.
One commenter asked: ‘How does it work with a council house? You rent it but you can do it up if you want?’
And 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 unauthorised 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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