As the cost of living worsens for many, homeowners are desperately trying to find ways save money around their home. When it comes to renovating, one of the best ways to do this whilst keeping costs down is to DIY.
Couple Sharnene and Paul Jewell saved thousands of pounds transforming their bathroom by themselves. They upcycled second-hand materials as well as finding bargain accessories on eBay, Amazon and B&Q.
The pair managed to pull off the incredible makeover which cost them just £550. They now have an earthy, rustic-looking bathroom which is unrecognisable from its former, dull self.
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“The shower room on our top floor originally had a full-length cupboard behind the door which I felt was a waste of space because it was really not used for anything," mum-of-four Sharnene told DIY On A Budget UK.
"We took the cupboard away and put a door opening from the landing to create a separate room. I took the old shower cubicle out, and kept the original toilet, but moved the pipework. I also moved the sink and bath pipework."
Sharnene, 45, and husband Paul, 51, then went about sourcing cost-effective materials as well as re-purposing their second-hand buys.
“I bought tiles on sale in B&Q, at £8 a box for five boxes," Sharnene said.
“I bought a drawer unit from Gumtree for £40 which I sanded and black washed, and painted some of it solid black. I replaced the handIes with copper pipes and fittings from B&Q which cost £30.
“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, a stone sink which was £45 from eBay and a sink tap for £25 also from eBay.
"I bought the glazed window from Gumtree for £20, and we handmade the frame. 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."
Sharnene says her and Paul saved the most money by doing all the labour work themselves - with the entire transformation costing them just £550.
"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," she said.
"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."
"Buying second hand and up-cycling makes me so much happier than buying new," Sharnene added.
"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.
"I’m very much into industrial decor so 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."
"It’s my dream bathroom, I just love how warm it feels with all the dark wood and plants."
