Caravan holidays are a popular staycation choice, but buying a brand new one can be costly. However, one grandmother of nine has shared how she saved thousands by renovating a previously drab caravan for £1,000.
Midwife Zena Hepburn, 49, transformed her son's old caravan into a stylish monochrome space herself by using affordable products from IKEA, B&M, Wilko and Home Bargains. As reported by LatestDeals, Zena shared her tips on the money-saving Facebook group, DIY On A Budget UK.
She said: "I came up with the idea to paint my caravan, Doris, with Frenchic paint as the paint is amazing and I've painted lots of things at home.
READ MORE: Mum shows how she gave her garden a makeover for £40
"I purchased the caravan from my son who just wasn't using it. I wanted to use white paint to make it feel clean and fresh and make it feel bigger. The old caravans are very brown.
"I just decided to go with a monochrome look so it was modern but then kept finding boho type accessories and colours so I combined black, white and neutrals. The kitchen end cupboards I decided to paint in black just to make them stand out.
"Once it was painted, I then covered the tops and the table in DC Fix which is fab, cheap and simple to do."
After painting the caravan, Zena added items from some of her favourite affordable homeware stores as well as upcycling some of the existing fittings.
She added: "A trip to IKEA was exciting as I wanted some fake plants to throw some nice colour in. All of my accessories were either from IKEA, B&M, Wilko or Home Bargains. No single item was very expensive.
"I covered the seats in stretchy throws after looking at various ways to do it. I wanted something simple and cheap and came across a YouTube video on how to do it.
"All the lights were spray painted. The floor is lino. The lights were old- fashioned but rather than buy new I just upcycled. The same goes for the sink and drainer - you can buy new but to save money I sprayed them. I didn't want it to cost a fortune as I was doing it for fun."
Zena pulled off her impressive makeover while also juggling her busy job as a midwife and she couldn't be happier with the end result - which she believes has saved her thousands of pounds.
Zena said: "I think with everything including the TV, cups, paint, wallpaper, floor and so on, I spent about £1,000. It was here and there so it didn't seem like much at the time.
"There are a few little bits to finish off but the caravan was almost finished last year and is now sited on a seasonal pitch so we can go and use her whenever.
"I did all of this last year in between working. I'm a private midwife, so I'd go to work, come home, get straight in my DIY clothes and carry on.
"I wouldn't want someone else to renovate it as it's part of the fun of doing it. I would guess it's saved a few thousand doing it myself."
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