A thrifty mum transformed her home on a budget after being quoted nearly a grand by workmen.
We all know the feeling of being given an astronomical quote from a builder.
But one money-saving mum from Glasgow didn’t let the £800 quote to build hallway panelling put her off.
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Instead, she took to YouTube to find tutorials to prove she could do it herself. Irene stocked up on supplies from Homebase and Screwfix, and built her own panelling for under £100.
Irene Wilson, 51, a nursery manager and mum of four from Glasgow, shared her transformation on social media and it was quickly a hit with fellow DIYers.
Irene told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK : “I came up with the idea to do my own panelling after seeing people on social media doing it, but I didn't want to try it in case I did it wrong.
“I had bought all the stuff and had it in my house for months, then I was too scared to start it.
“But then one day I got up and said ‘right, I'm doing this today!'
"I watched a video on YouTube about how to panel walls, so I started by drawing and measuring out the shape I wanted onto the walls.
“Then I put my frame up and once I got started it actually didn't take that long to put up."
The nursery manager admitted she did face some challenges.
She said: “The only tricky bit was cutting some of the wood at an angle, as stairs are a bit more difficult to do.
“Then once the adhesive was set, I started to fill in the gaps and then let it dry.
“After that, I sanded all the parts that were filled in, and then the fun part was painting it.
“The materials I used were shaker wall panels from Homebase: you get six in a pack and for the stairs, I used four packs which cost £11.50 a pack.
“Then I used five tubes of no-nonsense adhesive from Screwfix at £1.95 per tube. I used that as a filler as well.
“The dado rails I used for the top of the panelling cost £8.97 each and I used three of them.
“Then I bought one tin of paint, which cost £15 from B&Q. It cost £98 in total.
"I was quoted £800 from professionals to do this, but I decided to do it myself and it cost me under £100!"
The stairs were such a success that she went on to do her daughter's bedroom.
Irene added: "I am so pleased I went to do it. It just shows you if you put your mind to it then anything is possible to save yourself money.
"I didn't think it was going to work out nicely, but once I did it I was really proud of it.
“I decided to share it on social media and was surprised by how many likes and comments I got and really good feedback!
"I would say to anyone if they are having doubts about trying it, just go for it but maybe don't try stairs for your first time! I went on to do my daughter's bedroom and think it's perfect.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “While it might be simpler to hire a builder to carry out cosmetic works, it’s definitely more expensive than attempting it yourself.
“Well done to Irene for giving this a go herself.
“Her panelling looks fab, and she has saved over £700 by doing it herself.
“YouTube is your best friend if you’re a novice DIYer: watch all the videos you can before you make a start, and social media can be a great place to ask fellow DIYers questions if you’re not sure!”
