A mum has transformed her bathroom into a “relaxing spa” for £206 by doing the work herself and using bargains from Primark, Shein, B&Q and more.
Samantha Bedford, 36, a full-time mum of two from the West Midlands, wanted a space in her home where she could relax. She decided to try and create a spa feeling at home by renovating her bathroom.
To keep costs down, Samantha bought everything she needed from high street stores and online shops. As reported by LatestDeals.co.uk, Samantha told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: "The idea of my bathroom was just that I wanted a place where I could really relax and escape the everyday pressures of life. I also suffer from a lot of anxiety, so I wanted it to feel like I was in another destination.
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"I play relaxing spa music when I normally have a bath, so I just rolled with the theme. As soon as I had decided that was how I wanted it, the ideas were flowing in my head. I researched different spas just to get an idea of how I wanted my finished bathroom to look.
"I am generally very creative and I will try my hand at anything. I thought of making a wooden slatted wall, but it was too expensive to buy the pre-cut slat, so I purchased some 5mm plywood from B&Q and got it cut by my brother who has a table saw.”
The plywood from B&Q cost Samantha £12.97 per board. She continued: “I used four boards which came to £51.88. I painted the wall black with paint leftover from a previous time. The gaps are 6mm between each slat on my wall and were installed with a nail gun.
"The paint used for the wood is actually fence paint which I had already and it was the colour I wanted too. I used the same paint on the hanging frame. Whenever I had a bath I could just envision plants draping above me with lights, so I had to make it happen, it was my best idea yet!”
After looking online for exactly what she wanted, Samantha discovered it was pretty pricey, so she headed to the high street. She explained: “On a trip to The Range, I found some flexible mesh in their garden centre for £4.99: that was more like it! Also, the size was perfect, so there was no need to cut it.
"The wood around the panel I already had so I just cleaned it up, planed and sanded it, cut it to the required size and used the fence paint again to finish it. The grid was attached by using galvanised staples.
"I purchased the artificial plants from Shein and used vouchers and points which I got from reviewing previous orders to get money knocked off my order. For the plants, I ordered nine orchids which would have been £3 per stem but I got them for £2.35 each."
The savings at Shein didn’t stop there. Samantha continued: “I got nine vines for inside the frame which came in a pack of three and would have cost £1.75 each, but I paid £1.37. I got six hanging vines for outside of the frame for £2.99 each, but I paid £2.35 each. Overall, the cost for the flowers was £47.35 including delivery.
“They are attached by cable ties and a weaving motion through the grid. I screwed in some chainplates which were from my local hardware store which were around £2 for two. I attached snap hooks to the chainplates and also to a heavy duty large hook screwed straight into the joist. There are microlights also which adds to the atmosphere which cost £2 from Primark Home.
"Most of the expense was on making the hanging plant feature but it was worth every penny. The next part was the stones which are actually flower pot toppers. I used around five bags at £1.50 from Wilko and one tube with larger pebbles from The Range which were reduced to 75p as there was no lid. The flooring is lino and cost £65 with fitting from my local carpet shop.”
In total, Samantha spent £206 on the bathroom. She said: “I am overwhelmed how well it all turned out. The total including flooring and fitting was £206. I feel like I have proven any budget is possible if you really set your mind to it. If you plan long enough and shop around it works out better. I am in love with my new bathroom!
"Some of my friends told me I was missing a trick not getting into interior design as a career. Having little confidence in myself, I decided to test the waters by posting a few pictures on social media and the response I got blew me away. There is more where that all comes from and I feel like this could be the start to a new journey. My kids actually queue up for bathtime now, they are very proud of it.
"If I could give any advice it would be to express your own personality in your home, because trends come and go! Create a room that reflects your personality and who you are, trends die quickly and who you are is forever. Anything is achievable even on a budget if you set your mind to it. I feel for me this is the start of something new and I feel this could be my calling!”
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