DIY loving mum-of-three on a budget redecorated four bedrooms for under £1,500

16 July 2021, 17:52

By Heart

@thisisheart

When Emily Watson moved in to her new home, she had already been mentally planning how she would decorate and do it up for six months!

Spending the sixteen months cooped in at home has got a lot of us dreaming of some serious DIY projects - but creating your dream pad doesn't come cheap.

That's why Emily Watson, 29, decided to challenge herself with a very ambitious renovation project, involving splitting one room in to two, and making over four bedrooms.

Emily, who is mum to Lewis, 11, Maisie, 9 and Hugo, 1, spent under £1,500 on her impressive home makeover - and was proud to share the results with the bargain loving community at LatestDeals.co.uk.

The family moved in to the house "when it was a shell" needing lots of work, and it took Emily five months to get it to how she wanted it to be.

She said: "The process was made easier because I’d been planning it for over six months before we moved in. I had started buying budget items before we even had a house to move in, so this helped us to save money once we were in our new home.

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"I knew we wouldn’t be able to afford a professional so we sourced everything ourselves and got the job done successfully on the cheap."

The housekeeper from Harrogate North Yorkshire explained: "I got my ideas by collecting inspiration off home budget Instagram pages. They showed me where to buy cheap furniture and how to upcycle old items with Frenchic paint.

"I was able to put my own stamp on my home using bits and bobs I had collected over time.

"We moved into a three bedroom house, so we halved the third bedroom in the back to give my one and nine year old children their own space. Our youngest accesses his bedroom from ours, so they both have privacy."

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As well as learning about how to give objects a new lease of life, she studied social media for decoration inspo.

Emily wanted her room to be a chic grey and white space, while eldest son Lewis would be getting a gamer-themed bedroom.

The third and final bedroom in the house would have two designs - Maisie getting a floral polka dot colour scheme on her side, and Hugo being transported in to the jungle at bedtime.

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She said: "For my bedroom, I wanted to model it using some Instagram homes as inspiration.

"However, they weren’t in the budget for me if I was to buy everything as listed. Instead, I tried to recreate the look by purchasing supplies from Facebook Marketplace, B&M and Home Bargains.

"With my two eldest children, I wanted to try and keep their bedrooms grown-up so the makeovers would last. I used ideas from Instagram homes for these as well. As for my youngest, he has always loved the jungle so I wanted to give him a space where his imagination could run wild!

"Most of our supplies and furniture have been purchased second hand, from budget shops or sales where possible. We also had help from a friend in the building trade to put up some stud walls and fit the electrics.

"We were lucky to pick up several items on the cheap. For example, I got wall stickers from eBay for between £3 and £5 a sheet, and while I was there I picked up a roll of wallpaper for just £10.

"Overall the walls of stickers in each room were just £30 each to create, and I also got some gamer cushions from this site for just £2 each.

"By going to the local builders merchants we saved on the timber and plasterboard, paying £60 in total. When we got the paint we got two tubs for £20 each from Dulux and two Valspar tubs for £30 each."

Emily also found a lot of items for free or at a very low price on Facebook Marketplace.

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She said: "Marketplace turned out to be a great place for items on the cheap. I picked up a large stuffed giraffe for £45 and a pink chandelier for £20. There was a lovely hanging shelf with tassels that I got for just £5 and the grey lamps in my room cost just £25 for both. I also got my two mirrored bedside tables - £50 for both!"

Emily's supplies list...

• Jungle Curtains - £30, Next
• Large Stuffed Giraffe -  £45, Facebook Marketplace
• Jungle Bed Sheets - £12, Next
• Pink Chandelier - £20, Facebook Marketplace
• Hanging Shelf With Tassels - £5, Facebook Marketplace
• Bee Beautiful Print - £4, B&M
• M Shape Ornament - £4, a friend made it 
• Vanity With Lights - B&M, £30
• Grey Curtains - £45, Studio 
• Grey Lamps - £25 for both, Facebook Marketplace
• Mirrored Bedside Tables - £50 for both, Facebook Marketplace
• Gamer Cushions - £2 each, eBay
• Gamer Lights - £12 each, eBay 
• Gamer Mirror - £15, B&M
• Gamer Prints - £2 each, eBay 
• Large Gamer Mirror - £80, The Range 
• Gamer Wall Stickers - £30 for the full wall, eBay 
• Polka Dot Wall Stickers - £30 for the full wall, eBay
• Plasterboard And Timber - £60, local builders merchants
• Paint - £40, two Dulux tubs
• Paint - £60, two Valspar tubs
• Third Bed - £50, Facebook Marketplace
• Malmo Bedside Cabinet - £15, B&M
• Furniture Set - £150, Facebook Marketplace (bedside tables, drawers, dressing table)
• Naomi Tripod Lamp - £20, B&M
• Adult Bed - £500, Bedz, Bedzz and Bedrooms
• Jungle wallpaper - £70, Next
• All other products were already owned