As DIY ‘doer-uppers’, Milly Davies and Louis Morgan have become an internet sensation since they started renovating a huge seven-bedroom former Bishop’s home in Swansea last year.
The couple’s journey on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok has chronicled the ups and downs of the young couple’s project, which was a ‘huge risk’, according to Milly, when they ‘got the keys’ to the sprawling house in March 2024.
While the videos are undeniably well-produced and entertaining, and the pair have made fascinating historical finds as they peeled back the layers of the Victorian house, some viewers are asking questions that aren’t answered in the posts.
Namely: How much did the house and its extensive renovation cost, and how on earth did a couple of twenty-somethings afford to buy it in the first place?
It’s something many of their followers, 1.9million on Instagram, 329k on YouTube and 374k on TikTok, continue to ask repeatedly, but no answers have been forthcoming.
The truth is that, according Land Registry records, Milly doesn’t actually own any of the house at all, only Louis, whose father, Martin it turns out, is a multi-millionaire entrepreneur hotelier and property magnate.
Martin owns the splendid 4-star ’boutique’ Morgans Hotel in Swansea and is a part-owner and director of Championship side Swansea City FC.
Martin, 62, also set up Wales’ largest independent travel agency, Travel House, recently sold to Hays Travel for an undisclosed sum. His other interests include a trade park, hotels, advertising and a construction company.
‘Doer-uppers’, Milly Davies, 27, and Louis Morgan, 28, (pictured) have become an internet sensation since they started renovating a former Bishop’s home in Swansea last year
Young Louis, 28, is a director of no fewer than 12 companies himself, including the hotel, though in every single case, according to Companies House records, his father is also listed as a co-director.
His brother, Charlie, infamous for being kicked by Eden Hazard while working as a Swansea City ball boy, is worth £150million after founding a vodka brand and even featured in The Times’ ’40 richest people under 40 in the UK’ in May 2024.
And Milly, 27, who graduated with a law degree from the University of Bristol in 2018, also comes from a wealthy background.
Photos from her Instagram show the couple jetting off on luxury holidays, meeting elephants in Thailand, skiing in the French alps and sunning themselves in the Maldives.
Milly’s own father Robert, the managing director of Dubai-based Depa Interiors, fits out luxury five-star hotels in Dubai, while her mother Emma is HR director at UAE bottled water firm Masafi.
She also manages the company’s Real Estate portfolio of over 400 units, a private investment business, and several other retail businesses.
And the Bishop’s house that the couple ‘took a huge risk on’? It was bought with no sign of a mortgage for £410,000 in March 2024, despite being on the market a year earlier for £700,000.
Milly admits that her own part in the enterprise has been secondary to that of Louis, who ‘has some experience, but I’m learning along the way.’
She worked full time while the renovation was in its early stages, but still posted on LinkedIn: ‘Whether it’s stripping wallpaper, sourcing vintage tiles, or learning to tile a bathroom (the hard way), I’m here to make the process both transparent and entertaining.’
The couple’s journey on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok has chronicled the ups and downs of the young couple’s project and has earned them an army of followers
While the videos are undeniably well-produced and entertaining the pair have been inundated by one question from their followers
Fans and critics alike have all been asking how much the house and its renovation cost, and how on earth did a couple of twenty-somethings afford to buy it in the first place?
According to Land Registry records, Milly doesn’t own the house, it’s only Louis, whose father, Martin it turns out, is a multi-millionaire entrepreneur hotelier and property magnate who does
But a cursory glance at the many stills and videos posted by the couple would give the casual observer the impression that the pair are doing the majority of the work themselves, with builders and tradesmen only playing the occasional cameo role.
And not all the viewers are as enthusiastic as they are, judging from some of the comments on their @Belgravevilla Instagram account. One, for example, recently asked Milly sarcastically: ‘Did you completely empty your trust fund babes?’
Another: ‘Is kinda funny 27 and 26 buying a million-dollar home. It’s kinda funny when she said risk like papa and mama trusted us with the money lol.’
One peeved follower from Australia even decided to report the couple to the local building control officers in Swansea, claiming the damp-proofing on their bathroom didn’t comply with regulations (it did, at least UK regulations, which are less stringent than those Down Under).
The canny couple have certainly used every influencer’s trick to cut costs by partnering with firms supplying power tools, interior furnishings, and even Milly’s boots and workwear.
But the scale of the transformation would clearly cost well into six figures, and the workload is way beyond the scope of amateurs, however talented.
Approached by MailOnline, Louis and Milly admit they are bringing in expert tradesmen but claim they are doing all the hard graft themselves.
The couple are living in the seven-bedroom property while they do it up and are looking forward to it becoming their permanent home.
Milly admits that her own part in the enterprise has been secondary to that of Louis, who ‘has some experience, but I’m learning along the way’
A cursory glance at videos posted online suggests the pair are doing the majority of the work themselves, with builders and tradesmen only playing the occasional cameo role
Not all the viewers are as enthusiastic as they are, judging from some of the comments on their @Belgravevilla Instagram account
They are aware that some of their huge online following have questioned how hands-on they are modernising the Victorian Grade II listed building in the leafy Uplands district of Swansea.
Louis said: ‘If anyone looks at some of our YouTube videos they will see we are doing most of the work ourselves.
‘But I’m not a plumber or an electrician so we’ve brought people in to do the jobs we can’t do ourselves.’
Still the couple have attracted publicity from as far afield as US magazine Newsweek, which reported on the various artefacts they discovered during the renovation, describing the house as ‘derelict’ which did not appear to be the case on estate agent’s particulars.
‘We found a World War II helmet insert while unblocking a doorway that had been covered with brickwork, and a certificate of authenticity for a piece of the cross of Christ,’ Milly told the magazine.
‘We also came across a newspaper article from 1925 while lifting floorboards in the master bedroom. It centred around the death of Alexandra of Denmark, queen consort to the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910.’
The house was built in 1859 as a private home, but over the years has also been a doctor’s surgery and then a bishop’s house. The couple bought it from the Catholic Church.
It includes a cellar, extensive grounds and an old stable.
Louis is a director of no fewer than 12 companies himself, though in every single case, according to Companies House records, his father is also listed as a co-director
Milly who graduated with a law degree from the University of Bristol in 2018, also comes from a wealthy background
The couple found the World War II helmet insert while reopening a doorway that had been bricked up.
Milly told Newsweek: ‘We are so thrilled that people seem to be enjoying our journey as much as we are,’ she said.
‘We are really glad that people are finding it interesting and are so grateful for all of the advice, insights, and encouragement we’ve received.’
The couple received a surprise visit from Building Control investigating why they had not installed a waterproof membrane in their bathroom, after Swansea Council received a tip-off from Australia.
In their video, the couple said: ‘It’s nice to be reported when you’ve done nothing wrong’.
Milly added: ‘I have a bone to pick. We had a visit from Building Control who’d received just a little email from across the world.
‘An anonymous complaint from someone that was in Australia reporting us for not having a waterproof membrane and after a little bit of investigation on the comments of one of our videos I think I found the culprit.
‘I’d just like to thank that individual for our morning of fun showing them around the bathroom but good news is he said we have nothing to worry about and everything looks compliant… to British building code… but not Australia.
‘So if we were in Australia we wouldn’t be okay… but that’s not relevant because we’re not.
‘The good thing is that this house hasn’t uprooted and flown across the world in a big gust of wind and landed in Australia.’
The pair admit that they do get in help from professionals but do much of it themselves and Louis said: ‘I’m not a professional tradesman or anything but I’ve been doing up houses for the last couple of years’
Milly added that she doesn’t pretend to be an expert, saying: ‘We are doing it together, Louis has got the experience and I’m learning from him. I’m enjoying it.’
Australian building standards dictate that shower floors and walls must be waterproofed up to a height of 1.8metres, with bathroom walls waterproofed up to 1.5metres.
And if the bathroom floor contains any wood or is not on the ground floor, all floors also have to be waterproofed.
In the UK it is limited to bath and shower enclosures, where a waterproofing membrane has to be fitted. This can be to just 60cm above a bath, while wet rooms and power shower areas have to be fully waterproofed.
Commenters were left amazed by the complaint, questioning if the Aussie complainant had nothing better to do.
One said: ‘I can’t believe this! Bloody people sitting in a chair making life difficult for people who are doing stuff!’
Another quipped: ‘I’m from Canada. Should I phone your local police to report you driving on the left side of the road?’
And a third laughed: ‘Give them a break guys, Sydney and Swansea are so difficult to tell apart.
‘The weather, the local landmarks… If you squint Swansea Arena looks just like the Sydney Opera House!’
The house was built in 1859 as a private home, but over the years has also been a doctor’s surgery and then a bishop’s house
Milly described the last year as crazy and told MailOnline they’ve still go lots of work to do, transforming the remaining five bedrooms and garden
MailOnline caught up with Milly and Louis as they were taking a break from renovating the property to fly out to Spain to spend the weekend with Louis’s father.
They were loading their brand new Land Rover Defender with bags but told of their pride in the project.
Louis said: ‘We have been working on the place for a year and we’ve got a long way to go.
‘It had seven bedrooms but we’ve taken one away to use as a dressing room with the master bedroom to make it better and to have an en suite.
‘So it will have six bedrooms when we’ve finished. We will live there when it’s finished.
‘I’m not a professional tradesman or anything but I’ve been doing up houses for the last couple of years.
‘We done it all ourselves but electricians, plumbers and plasterers we did get in. But other than that we’ve done as much as we possibly can on our own.’
Milly added: ‘We are doing it together, Louis has got the experience and I’m learning from him. I’m enjoying it.’
The couple said they are posting updates week-by-week on Instagram and TikTok and ‘somehow’ have gained a massive following.
Milly said: ‘It went a bit crazy last year, a couple of posts went viral and it all went from that really.
‘I hope we are inspiring young people to have a go at this sort of thing. It’s a good thing to do.’
