Many of us have experienced bad rentals, whether it’s a mould problem, issues with piping or something else entirely. But what do you do when you’re faced with a rotting bathroom that won’t stop leaking?
That was the dilemma Will Evans, a 26 year old content creator, faced when he moved into his new home with his partner. However, instead of forking out thousands for professional repairs he managed to get the job done on a strict budget of just £750.
Will, from Devon, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "The bathroom was a mess, leaking and all rotten when we moved in. So we had to get it sorted asap so we could move into our new home.
"The shower tiles were not tiled in properly and therefore the shower water leaked down the back of the shower and onto the chipboard floor, rotting it out completely. When we moved in, we turned the shower on and the water went straight through the floor into the living room below!
"We got a quote from Wickes for a professional bathroom installation but it would have set us back £5,000. We managed to pull off the entire project for just £745 which we are very proud of."
Will got some help from his partner dad, and together they pulled off all the old plastic tiles, deconstructed the old shower frame and removed the shower tray to see the damage underneath. They also took the toilet out, and the raditor and sink so they could see the rest of the floor.
To their astonishment, the entire floor was covered with rot underneath the shower. Will describes it as 'black and decomposing'.
He said: "We did some research and went for a low-budget design to fix it. We luckily have a builder in the family who had a lot of experience and skills to help us and provide us with advice.
"We used the internet to look for options that were cheaper. My partner used a lot of Pinterest posts and Instagram to find ideas and inspiration.
"We bought materials and items from a number of places. The new shower came from Victoria Plumbing for £200 and the cabinet cost £50 from B&Q.
"We got new lino for the bathroom, which cost a total of £150 from King’s Carpets in Barnstaple. We also re-used some of the items to keep costs down. We kept the old shower tray, towel rail and toilet.
"Once we had stripped out the old bathroom we had to take all the old tiles off the wall. We removed all the floor tiles and wall tiles using a hammer and chisel.
"After pulling up the rotten chipboard we saw the shower was leaking from the u-bend part of the pipe, so this needed replacing to stop further leaking. We then replaced the chipboard in most of the en-suite."
They used a plasterer to remove the tiles and do the wall, and had an electrician come and install some spot lights and a fan. The supplies cost them £45, and they work was done by a friend who didn't charge them.
Will said: "We purchased new skirting boards and stuck these on. We purchased a sink wall cabinet, shower glass and frame, as well as shower boards, for £300. We installed the sink back in, the toilet back in and the new shower, with help from my partner’s Dad.
"When fitting the new waste pipe for the shower we quickly learnt that it wouldn't be a straightforward job. The previous plumber must have done a dodgy job as all the pipe work was in the wrong place.
"Therefore, we had to re-install the waste pipes as well. However, a friend did this for us for free.
"The last part of the project was having flooring put down, we chose laminate flooring because of its low maintenance. We were able to save money on this part of the project as we got new chipboard for free from a friend. Our friend also did the installation for free.
"The job of the en-suite took us 2-3 months mostly due to us both working full time as well as my partner’s Dad working full time too, this meant we had less time to get jobs done. It was also winter which made it harder to do work in the evenings when it was dark."
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: "Will has done an incredible job with this bathroom makeover. I’m sure it would have been tempting to find the money for a professional installation, especially when faced with the leaking shower and rotting floors.
"However, by getting a friend to do the piping and electrician work, and doing a lot of the stripping himself, he has saved over £4,000. Can he do mine next?!"
