A creative DIY lover has shared how he created his dream fireplace for under £300.
50-year-old sprayshop manager Jonathan Barnes saved hundreds of pounds by taking on the project himself. He picked up bargains from Gumtree, eBay and B&Q in order to stick to his budget.
Telling Latest Deals how he pulled off the renovation, Jonathan said: "I received the keys to my new home a year ago and I had the vision for a new fireplace in my head for a long time.
READ MORE: Woman 'saved hundreds' creating home office with bargains from B&Q
"The inspiration came from my love for all things retro and rustic. Before I started planning the design, I knew that I wanted an industrial theme.
"Once I had the design in place, it was time to get supplies. I got most of them from B&Q, eBay and Gumtree. B&Q was my first stop. I picked up wooden batons and beading for £29, MDF/chipboard cladding for the chimney breast and plinth for £60 and bronze spray paint for £6. After that I headed into Screwfix and got 7 tubes of Evo-Stik gripfill adhesive for £2.80.
"Then I went to Homebase and picked up lintel for £15 and stone effect wallpaper for £22 before going to Travis Perkins for mortar priced at £7. Online, I browsed eBay and purchased a mesh grill for £9, an LED mood lighting kit for £15 and reclaimed Georgian brick strips for £51. Finally, I got a pre-owned electric fire cassette for £50 off Gumtree."
After sourcing the materials he needed, it was time for Jonathan to get to work. He explained: "Firstly, I removed the old fireplace and surround which was originally installed by the previous owner. This was a relatively easy task. I removed one section at a time once I had unscrewed all the components.
"It wasn't as straightforward as I first thought. I removed part of the old tile cladding in order to locate the fixings, however these could not be not located so I resorted to using a crowbar. The whole process took just over two and a half hours, which also included removing the old decorative brick walls either side of the chimney breast.
"Next up, I undertook the challenge of making the opening to the fireplace larger, in order to accommodate my new fire. I used an electric SDS+ hammer drill with a chisel attachment for the job. This was the most physical of all the renovation challenges, which took roughly three hours.
"The next step was to clad the fireplace in MDF to enable me to attach the reclaimed Georgian brick slips. Once I had measured the dimensions of the fireplace, I made two pillars to slide over the original brickwork, which was rather unsightly. A backboard was then added and secured using small 90° brackets, and a top section was slid into place. I spent no more than four hours on this task.
"The Evo-Stik gripfill adhesive was used to secure the brick slips, and small pieces of 9mm MDF were used as spacers. I cut the brick slips to size using a small angle grinder. This was the most time-consuming part of the project, which took over eight hours.
"Wooden batons were added to the top half of the chimney breast for supporting the bulk head that I made from chipboard. Once I attached the sides to the framework, I was able to obtain an overall measurement in order to cut the front panel to the correct size.
"The next step was to create an opening in this panel using a router and guide template. A small shelf was made which was then attached beneath the opening to house my soundbar. Lastly, I attached the front panel to the two sides of the bulkhead and covered it with concrete effect wallpaper. This project took under six hours.
"‘I then attached the raised hearth that I had made from a section of worktop left over from my new kitchen; a hole was cut and the fire inserted. To make the raised hearth, a plinth was made of MDF which was then attached to the fireplace cladding for the hearth to sit on.
"Internal and external measurements were taken of the fireplace to mark out where to cut the hearth so that it would fit around the columns; a jigsaw was used for this task. I secured the hearth to the plinth using small 90° brackets. This task took three hours to complete. Then I finished my design by adding wallpaper to the bulkhead and LED mood lighting.
Jonathan was pleased with the end result of the project - which wasn't without its challenges. He added: "The main challenges I faced were how to incorporate my audio-visual equipment into the chimney breast, and if this could be done in a way that they were not intrusive.
"I came up with the idea of creating a shelf that sits directly above the fire, which in turn is hidden behind a mesh grill. I set the sound bar into the bulk head directly beneath my television. I also created a fake speaker cover made from tights I picked up for £4 from Tesco that hides my soundbar.
"A lot of meticulous planning went into my design and build, and fortunately everything went as planned. I’ve always enjoyed DIY and I was really looking forward to implementing my design as my budget would not stretch to hiring a professional."
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