A couple transformed their bathroom for just £550 using second hand materials and bargains from high street stores.
Sharnene Jewell, 45, a housekeeper and mum of four from Cardiff, and her husband Paul, 51, were determined to save thousands of pounds. They’ve managed this by upcycling old furniture from Gumtree, sourcing cheap materials and accessories from shops, and using second hand products where they could.
As reported by LatestDeals, Sharnene told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK : “I took the old shower cubicle out and kept the original toilet, but moved the pipework. I also moved the sink and bath pipework. I bought tiles on sale in B&Q, at £8 a box for five boxes.
READ MORE: Woman renovates 'tired' kitchen for £100 using B&Q bargains
“I got the drawer unit from Gumtree for £40, replaced the handIes with copper pipes and fittings from B&Q and painted them black. The handles cost £30. I sanded and black washed the unit and painted some of it solid black. I bought a quarry cast bath from Gumtree for £150, which was sanded and polished. I also bought a freestanding bath tap from Amazon for £140, and a sink tap for £25 from ebay. The stone sink was £45 from eBay.”
Sharnene and Paul also bought the glazed window from Gumtree for £20 and saved money by making the frame themselves. She continued: “I used old parquet floor tiles as wall tiles from Gumtree, and they were free. The mirror was from TK Maxx from £18. It was silver, but we painted it black, with a brown rust effect.
"We had no outside help, my husband and I did all the work. My mother-in-law paid £7,000 about 10 years ago to have her bathroom done, so I just knew we would be able to save loads by doing it ourselves. My husband fitted our last bathroom so he had quite a bit of knowledge, but YouTube is a great place to watch videos on how to do things. It’s my dream bathroom, I just love how warm it feels with all the dark wood and plants.”
Sharnene is into industrial decor, so this was the aim for the new bathroom. She explained: "I’m loving my industrial style window, black taps and stone sink, but I think what makes me most happy is how cheaply I managed to do it all for. Buying new is a lovely feeling, but when you create something with your own hands it just makes you feel so proud.
“It cost roughly £550 in total. I’m really not sure exactly how much we saved by doing it all ourselves, but my mother-in-law paid £7,000 about 10 years ago, so it's definitely thousands: the bath alone to buy new is about £2,000. Buying second hand and up-cycling makes me so much happier than buying new. When I first started buying furniture for my home I only ever bought new, but when I designed and made my first piece that was it really.
"Especially if on a budget, you can get much better quality items for less money and make them unique and perfect for your own home very easily with just paint and new hardware. We were lucky really: because we had another bathroom we didn’t have to rush it, so we just did a little bit each weekend, so we did it over five months. It’s amazing really and we are very proud of our achievement!”
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