Jacob Waddington, 24, has spoken out about building a two-property portfolio before his mid-twenties through aggressive saving and hands-on renovation work.
The Lancashire man started stashing cash the moment he entered full-time work at 18, and his discipline has already funded a £98,000 terraced house and a £140,000 cottage at the foot of Pendle Hill. He and girlfriend Holly are now deep into their second renovation, with plans to convert the historic one-bedroom property into an Airbnb targeting couples seeking rural getaways.
Jacob’s saving regimen began after he left college and landed a £24,000-a-year telecoms job, a major step up from his previous £6-an-hour retail position. Still living at home and paying just £200 monthly to his parents, he funneled £1,000 a month into savings. When his salary climbed to £33,000, he ramped that to roughly £1,500 out of his £2,200 monthly take-home pay.
“I’d only really spend money on going out at the weekend, but you don’t need to spend loads on that,” he said. “Me and my girlfriend would go for the odd meal out, but we love going on walks and things like that”.
By May 2025, the couple had enough for a deposit. They bypassed buying a home to live in, instead putting down 25 percent on the two-bed terrace and pouring £20,000 into renovations including a new kitchen, bathroom, plastering, and boiler. Jacob left his telecoms role to work two days a week behind a bar for £800 monthly, devoting the rest of his time to the project.
Nine months later, in January 2026, the work was complete. A fresh valuation came in at £160,000, and they remortgaged to pull the equity increase into their accounts. Rather than sell, they placed tenants in March at £875 monthly, more than double their £430 mortgage payment.
That released capital sent them hunting again. They found the 200-year-old cottage in a historic Lancashire area famous for the Pendle witch trials, purchasing it at auction with the remortgaged funds plus a 12-month bridging loan covering 75 percent of the price. The short-term loan accumulates interest without monthly payments, to be settled when they remortgage after renovation.
“We’re thinking we might Airbnb this one out because it’s in a rural location,” Jacob said. “It’s really picturesque and it’s in a historic area. It will be like a couple’s getaway.”
The couple budgeted £30,000 for the year-long renovation. Jacob has already run the numbers on the Airbnb model: £120 nightly at 60 percent occupancy yields £2,000 monthly, and after council tax, bills, and a £650 mortgage, roughly £1,000 would remain.
“It could be more profitable than the standard rental,” he said.
He is eyeing an eventual remortgage valuation near £250,000, citing a neighboring two-bed that sold for £320,000. The equity pulled at that stage would exceed their total investment, he calculated.
“The house next door has just sold for £320,000 for a two bed, so I’m hoping to get this one remortgaged at around £250,000,” he said. “If we can do that, we’d be able to pull out more money than we put in, because it will have increased in value by so much”.
The long-term roadmap includes one more flip or rental, then a permanent home with Holly. Throughout, Jacob has documented progress on his @buildingwithjacob social media account, building an audience around the renovation journey.
“The plan is to maybe buy one more house to do up and sell, and then maybe buy a doer-upper to live in,” he explained.
Reaction from his circle has been overwhelmingly positive. “All my friends and family say it’s amazing, and it does feel really rewarding. I’ve found a real passion for doing it and I just feel really motivated to keep going,” he said.
His core advice centers on embracing properties others overlook. “If someone wants to buy a house, whether to live in or to sell, don’t be afraid to buy something that needs a little work doing to it,” he said. “If you buy something a bit more run-down, you can get much bigger returns on it, as it will have increased in value.”
Jacob and Holly expect to complete the cottage renovation and remortgage within the coming year, with the Airbnb launch to follow.