A savvy mum has shared how she transformed her garden and built a stunning outdoor kitchen for just £60. Belle Rogers, 41, upcycled old materials left over from renovating her detached five-bed barn conversation home to create the incredible outdoor space on a shoestring budget.
She used extra tiles from her bathroom to make the worktops and old pallets were turned into cupboards. Leftover patio slabs were used for the flooring area and she scoured Facebook Marketplace for kitchen accessories for the finishing touches.
The only thing she forked out on where the cast-iron handles and hanging rails - setting her back around £60. Creative Belle is already thinking about her next project and plans to turn an old greenhouse into an outdoor bar at her Georgian farmhouse, in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Belle, a creative partner at a design company, said: “I love giving things a new lease of life. I don’t throw away anything - our garage is full of leftover material from previous projects.
“I’ve designed everything for the house, inside and out, I love getting stuck into a project. I'm really pleased with how the kitchen turned out."
Belle and her husband David, 50, bought the five-bed Georgian farmhouse cottage with barn conversation in 2014 and got work renovating it when they moved in there in January 2015. After working hard on the interiors, Belle felt as though the garden had been overlooked.
The back garden was turned into a vegetable patch where the family grow their own produce. For the side garden, Belle drew-up plans and got to work giving the outdoor space a makeover.
Belle said: “We didn’t have much of an entertaining space before. I designed a cosy seating area, and we had a dunk tank put in for swimming.
“I loved the idea of an outdoor kitchen, but my husband wasn’t sure about it. But I knew we could do it while saving money.”
Belle is a big believer in upcycling and creating things on a budget. She saves any leftover material from previous renovations just in case they would come in handy.
The frame of the outdoor kitchen was made from extra wood leftover from a pergola she had built in the garden. The worktops are bathroom tiles and old pallets have been repurposed and painted for the cupboards. She also scoured Facebook Marketplace for bargains, finding furniture and accessories to upcycle.
“I source my own materials, which helps save money for building projects," she said. “I’m not a builder, but I do as much DIY as I can. I had a vision for the garden, and I went for it."
Belle is still renovating the house and coming up with new ideas every day. She is planning to turn an old greenhouse into an outdoor bar - removing the glass and using pallets to create a drop-down counter.
She documents her house renovation on Instagram under the handle @designermumetc, where she has gathered 107,000 followers.
Belle said: "After doing-up the bathroom, I have an old bathtub sat out there. I could throw it away, but I'm thinking of filling it with flowers to make a unique planter.
"I would really encourage people try and upcycle and reuse thing they might throw away. You never know what you could make with it."
Cost breakdown of the kitchen:
Wooden kitchen frame/structure (from pergola built in garden) - free
Pallets turned into cupboards - free
Patio slabs flooring (from previous garden project) - free
Tiles for worktops (from bathroom renovation) - free
Cast iron handles and hanging rails - £60
