If you’re at all like us, you enjoy whittling away hours looking at the property sections of the papers.

You scroll through Daft repeatedly to find your dream home and you throw your pennies at The Lotto in the hope of one day being able to nab a place to lay your weary head. Earlier we brought you this dream cottage in Portobello that is so beautifully finished it’s easy to imagine life there.

This little palace is back on the market (Dreams DO come true) https://t.co/tAjQQ9gVAZ

— Her.ie (@Herdotie) June 30, 2016

The price tag obviously reflects the expert taste of the previous owners and while your Pinterest is full of ideas and DIY tips, the thought of actually Doing it Yourself is terrifying. You can save a pretty penny by buying somewhere that needs a bit of work and as one Dublin homeowner has shown, you can have massively successful results. Shane O’Connor bought the below house in Crumlin two years ago looking like this: The two bedroom mid terrace house has incredible access links to the city and is located in one of Dublin’s most colourful areas. But the décor left a lot to be desired. Luckily Shane saw it’s charm and spent two years transforming it into this: The space has been opened up gloriously with a modern extension and is now the most perfect abode for any young professional. It’s currently on the market for a very reasonable €250,000 which is less than half the price of the aforementioned cottage. We love both, can’t afford either but at least this transformation gives us hope.