Via Small Joys

Normally, when the topic of home renovation comes up, people start breaking out the spreadsheets to calculate how much they would need to spend on the contractor or if they would need a temporary abode while the renovation is on-going. In short, people tend to stress out over the million details needed to make sure the project succeeds. That's because house renovations are complex endeavors that require a lot of time and money, right?

For most people, the answer would be yes. But one 12-year-old girl from Kent has impressed everyone by redecorating her family's home for a mere £50. What's more, she was able to complete the whole project within 7 days during breaks in her homeschooling schedule!

The girl's name is Bea Levache and according to her mom, Susie, despite Bea having had to learn to do everything on the fly, her daughter was "a natural" and performed a "blinding job." Susie, who works as a portrait photographer, was so proud of Bea's work that she shared photos of the renovation on Facebook. As expected, the praises poured in as soon as she did so.

Bea didn't do it all alone, of course. Susie and Bea's 15-year-old brother Ted also pitched in. Susie added that part of the secret sauce was reusing as many materials as they could. This meant that they didn't need to buy much else.

Via Susie Levache

Susie explained that she usually does the DIY work. But Bea wanted to try it out and Susie let her, thinking that she could always fix anything that her daughter may mess up. But any such worries were unfounded because Bea exceeded any and all expectations her mother had.

The 47-year-old mom was supervising everything at the start but Bea was a quick learner and soon got handy with the tools. From being nervous at first, Bea soon got into her groove and soon enough she was doing most of the work with little need for supervision. In fact, Bea was able to complete a lot of renovation work in just a few hours.

Via Susie Levache

To be fair, Susie had actually been working on the renovation bit-by-bit for the past 10 months. But with the lockdowns due to the coronavirus, the kids got bored at home so she had them help her with the DIY work in the afternoons after their morning homeschooling sessions were done.

In order to keep costs down, they tried to reuse as many materials as possible. This meant using stuff that they already had on storage like paint and varnish. In fact, the only materials they bought during the makeover were some kitchen handles.

Once they got the home office part down, Susie allowed Bea to redecorate the stairs along with the help of her brother. For that project, Susie left them unsupervised and she wasn't disappointed.

Via Susie Levache

Bea showed remarkable patience hand painting the stairs and Susie decided it was time to take the work to the kitchen utility room. After three days of work, Bea proudly showed her mom a completely transformed kitchen area.

Susie took to Facebook to showcase her daughter's amazing work and thousands of likes soon flooded the post. The proud mother also took time to say that if her 12-year-old daughter could do it, then anyone could do it as well.

Susie also described how they had reworked an old and broken rattan table and transformed it into a beautiful mosaic centerpiece using leftover tiles from a previous tiling project. The rundown table now has pride of place in their terrace where they gather around drinking hot chocolate in the cozy space.

Via Susie Levache

In the aftermath of the successful redecoration, a lot of parents soon peppered Susie with questions on how to recreate her DIY success. The response has been so overwhelming that she decided to open an Instagram account to specifically share her decorating tips and tricks. What's even more, professional carpenters and builders also drop by the page to share their advice as well.

While the DIY project has resulted in a more beautiful home office for Susie and her family and given them something productive to do during the coronavirus lockdown, she says there's an even more important result. She said that the whole endeavor has markedly improved Bea's confidence.

Susie explained that being a photographer, she has always been able to express her creative side. However, Bea thought she didn't have that creative talent. But the project proved to the youngster that she has what it takes to shine.

From being timid at the start, Bea eventually started showcasing her artistic tastes and it was obvious in the way the whole place was transformed. It was definitely a pleasant development for Susie who before the lockdown wouldn't have thought of letting her daughter participate in the DIY project.

Via Susie Levache

But despite the dramatic transformations, Susie clarified that the whole project is far from over with a lot of areas in the house needing some tender loving care. But Susie doesn't have to worry because now she knows she can count on her daughter to come up with some cool stuff!