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Home & DIY

If you need inspiration for your making your house a home, but have a budget to stick to, you’ve come to the right place.

I too want to be as frugal as possible with the money I invest in my home. I’ve remodelled my own fixer-upper and have shared all the dos and don’ts along the way

Browse through my DIY posts and upcyling projects room-by-room to get advice on renovating your home, inspiration for revamping furniture, and discover thrifty ways to decorate on a budget…

RECENT POSTS

DIY

My thrifty 50s kitchen renovation: What’s next on the to-do list…

To be honest with you, the kitchen was one of the most disgusting rooms in our fixer-upper home. So it was kind-of the room we tackled first. It got a coat of fresh white paint (to cover up the oil-and-nicotine stained walls eww) on the day we got the keys. We’ve since painted the existing cabinets. which has freshened up the units. But there’s still plenty more to do…

DIY

How to DIY a sensory play ‘outdoor kitchen’ from pallet wood

When I found a few brick pallets in a building site skip (and asked if it would be okay to re-use them!) my mind starting whirring at the possible projects they could be used for. The result is this kids’ mud kitchen and I thought I’d share the step-by-step project with you today…

Bathroom

Bathroom design trends 2019 – Is it worth the investment?

Although the kitchen is seen as the heart of the home, the bathroom is one of the most used rooms and in my opinion one of the most important. Even though your bathroom is a functional room, it doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish. In this post, I’m looking at the best bathroom design trends of 2019 to see if the changes you could make to your home would be worth it from an investment point of view…

DIY

8 Tricks you can do NOW to reduce your heating bill in the autumn

I know it seems crazy to be talking about heating when the weather is like this – but it won’t always quite as delightful as it is right now! That’s why I wanted to help you plan ahead for the autumn and get most of your heating maintenance out of the way during the summer months. That way, you won’t have any surprises when the cooler weather comes around. Here’s 8 tricks to help you to reduce your heating bills…

DIY

How to upcycle a cable reel into a coffee table for your garden

I’ve been DIYing in the garden again and this time I’ve made an outdoor coffee table using an old wooden cable reel that I found in a skip. Plus, I’ve created a cosy corner for drinks and chatting outside on my deck (featuring my ‘new’ coffee table, so here’s how I did it…

DIY

Easy DIY tasks you can do in a weekend to boost the value of your property

When it comes to home improvements, you’ll probably want to prioritise projects that will add more value to your home—especially if you are planning to sell your property and move on in the future. Today I’m sharing some ideas for getting your home ship-shape so that you can enjoy living in it AND boost it’s resale value…

HOME DIY

Take one neutral sofa – how to style your living room 6 different ways

Whether you’ve got a grey, beige, white (or even black) sofa those neutral hues can look a little bland, but they’re also a fantastic base upon which to create a variety of interior design themes. Here’s how you can style up one neutral sofa in six different ways to change the look of your interior for less…

DIY

6 Signs that you need to repair your windows before the autumn

Good windows are essential in keeping a home cosy, which is why it’s important to care for your windows and occasionally carry out some maintenance. But how do you know if your windows need repairing? Natural causes such as the weather can have an effect on your home, but windows are more susceptible as they are the thinnest barriers between you and the outside world. How will you know when it is time to repair your wooden windows? Below is a list of six tell-tale signs…

DIY

How to DIY rustic garden benches using upcycled scaffold boards

We’ve had a busy week of garden-based DIYing here, which all began when we got hold of some low-cost scaffold boards from the local timber yard. My mind went into overdrive about all the things I could build with the 13ft-long boards but we decided to start small with some rustic garden benches. Here’s how to make them…

Bedroom

10 Ways to tune out of your tech to get a much better night’s sleep

After going to the 24 hour festival First Light last weekend and realising just how much sleep I actually do need, I’ve being doing some research into ways to sleep better. Today’s blog post contain a few of the tech-related tips that could help you to tune out and get a great night’s sleep – here’s how…

Home buying

Thinking of selling? How to get the best possible price for your house

If you are planning to move you’ll want to get the best possible price for your current home. To stand any chance of doing that you need to make sure your property looks its best as first impressions really DO matter! Here are some hacks to help you get a great offer when you’re selling your home…

DIY

3 Possible budget-friendly solutions to rid your home of dampness

No one wants to live in a damp house. It can be very uncomfortable, especially during the winter months as it will only make your place feel colder so why not tackle it now, before it becomes a bigger problem? You might think that you’ll need to call professionals in order to get rid of dampness in your home but the good news is that there are budget-friendly ways you can solve your damp and mold problems yourself. Here’s how…

DIY

Guest post: 5 Cost-efficient ways to make your home more secure

How much do you know about home break-ins? If you believe the cartoons, you may think that burglaries only happen at night, with a criminal sneaking around in a black mask with a swag bag! In reality, the majority of break ins happen in broad daylight. They even are committed by burglars who live nearby. Plus, despite our misconception that these crimes are well thought-out and highly planned, most homes are burgled in less than 10 minutes. That means it’s more essential than ever that you take your home security seriously with these 5 low cost (and free!) security tips.

Bedroom

How to redecorate and refresh your bedroom when you’re on a budget

Why is it that the vast majority of the time we neglect our bedrooms the most out of all of the rooms in the house? Sure, we are probably the only ones to actually see our bedrooms, and we’re mostly asleep when we’re in there – but that doesn’t mean they can’t become a tranquil space for some much-needed ‘me time’ – here’s how…

Garden

My thrifty garden landscaping project – Alfresco dining at long last!

Finally, some sunshine! This week we’ve been able to begin enjoying our garden at long last and sit outside with a meal or two. There’s still a lot more work to do in the garden in terms of landscaping but, for now, at least we can relax in the space we’ve created so I wanted to share some photos of the garden with you…

DIY

Cheap & easy home improvements you might not have considered before…

Making improvements to your home is never going to be cheap, and amid all the home renovation programmes and YouTube DIYs you can often feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to sprucing up your home. However, home improvement doesn’t have to be as expensive as it’s made out to be, and today’s blog post offers a few different methods of creating some easy improvements on the cheap, without going overboard with the power tools…

DIY

How to create an outdoor kitchen/diner in your garden

I’ve been working on landscaping my garden this year and the steep slope needed to be terraced, which left me with a design that created ‘rooms’ within the garden. And since finishing the deck over the weekend, it’s got me thinking about the ways that I want to use the terrace that’s closest to the house…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to incorporate mid-century design into your contemporary home

You only have to open up the Pinterest home page to discover a multitude of ways to incorporate mid-century design into your home. It’s no longer about choosing a ’50s, ’60s or ’70s “theme” that you have to commit to, it’s about choosing sleek designs that fit into your 21st century home perfectly. Here’s how…

Garden

5 Garden DIY hacks to get your outdoor space ready for summer

Is your garden looking a little tired or uninviting? With summer almost upon us (at last) now is the time to ready your outdoor space for the months of summer fun ahead! If you look at the state of your garden and your heart starts to sink, then don’t worry; there are plenty of ways you get your outdoor space ready for all the activities, drinks with friends, family BBQs and outdoor fun that’s to come. Here I’ve gathered 5 super simple hacks that will help get you started. Enjoy!

DIY

Easy roof maintenance tasks you can do yourself (& when NOT to do it!)

The roof of a house is a perilous place so I wouldn’t even begin to suggest you take on a roofing DIY task yourself as it takes time, skill and specialist safety equipment to perform necessary repairs. That said, there’s no reason why you can’t assess the current state of the roof and spot any minor fixes that can solves problems before they become bigger jobs. At the very least, if you’re capable of assessing the damage you can call in a roofer and explain what needs fixing. Here are some roofing tips to help you get started…

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