The Caerphilly duo fix up a property on the S4C TV show Tŷ am Ddim

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Alixe Everson, a 24-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, was forcefully joined by apprentice carpenter Alex Loy, from Blackwood, in the S4C programme, Tj am Ddim (house for nothing).

The series, made by Chwarel, unites two young men with the task of remodeling a house on a limited budget and sharing the proceeds from its sale to help their own home.

The duo, who have never met before, were given £9,000 and six months to restore a two-bedroom house in Abercarn, which was bought by property expert Carys Davies at an online auction for £88,000.

The two worked together to rip out the old kitchen, remove the plaster from the exterior wall, and remove the old wallpaper before painting.

“I’m pretty organized and good on a budget, but I don’t have technical skills,” Ms. Everson admitted.

“I had no idea what rendering was before starting this project.

“I learned a lot… my nails were too long and I had to cut them.”

Ms. Everson is a resource consultant with a Newport-based education provider who lives with her parents (and pets), but realized “it’s time for me to move on and find my own place.”

She found balancing work with renovation “challenging” at times with some issues faced, but luckily she and Mr Loy “worked well together” and had “lots of friends and family” able to help.

Mr. Loy admits there wasn’t much carpentry involved in the project, but he was able to install the new kitchen, help re-plaster the exterior, and do work on the roof and windows.

“Alixe and I were lucky that our families got to do a lot of the work with us,” he said.

“I know a lot of people who met others who were able to come and do some work for us. My brother did all the plumbing which saved us time and money.

“We had to redo some work, but we got through the issues pretty easily.”

The duo made a profit of £28,400, even after going over budget by £1,800.

Ms. Everson has put down her share and hopes to have her own place by the time she is 30 years old.

“While this project was quite challenging, it was a win-win situation,” he said.

“I’ve learned a lot that will be really helpful when I get to do my own house and making a decent profit was a huge bonus.”

Tj am Ddim airs on S4C Wednesdays at 9 pm English subtitles are available.