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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

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…

DIY

My home office makeover – How to DIY a wall-to-wall desk

All good bank holiday weekends should be spent DIYing, right? The project I had earmarked for the May bank holiday has been long overdue and I can’t believe it’s finally happened! Here’s how I DIYed a wall-to-wall desk for my home office…

DIY

4 Hacks for renovating vintage Lloyd Loom woven bucket chairs

After decades of use and sun exposure in a conservatory many classic Lloyd Loom chairs are faded or damaged. While it’s still possible to buy the originals (I picked these up at a car boot sale) it’s likely that they’ll need a little care and attention to bring them back to life. Here’s some simple tricks to renovate vintage woven chairs and bring a touch of retro design onto your patio this summer…

Bedroom

How to find extra space in your home for visitors and relatives

You might think that your family home is already full to bursting point, with kids, pets and all the things that come with them. Then you get a call, and your friends are coming to stay! How will you accommodate them? And what about when a parent or grandparent can no longer live independently? Can you fit them in too? Let’s find extra space in your home that you’re not already using…

Bathroom

How to turn a pallet into a driftwood-style bathroom storage hamper

I’ve been working on another pallet upcycling project and this month I’ve been creating much-needed storage for my bathroom. Pallet wood is my favourite material to make furniture from – it’s sturdy, looks much better with just a little TLC and, best of all, it’s free! Here’s how I DIYed a bathroom laundry hamper and sink caddy from a pallet…

DIY

Summer home maintenance tasks you shouldn’t forget this year

Spring has sprung, and summer is on its way! You’ve probably already gotten started on your spring renovation projects, but have you considered those less-than-glamorous home maintenance jobs that need to be done as well? Summer is the best time to take care of a few quick fixes and clean-ups so you don’t have to worry about them later in the summer or when the weather turns cold again. Let’s go..!

Home buying

How to sell your home the thrifty way (without an estate agent)

If you’re thinking of moving house but the costs of selling via an estate agent are putting you off, why not consider selling your home yourself? Did you know that it’s possible to do all the photography, listings, viewings and negotiating yourself and not have to pay a penny to an estate agent? Today’s blog post will walk you through the process…

Garden

5 Things that bring extra fun to your summer garden parties

When the weather starts to improve, thoughts turn to your outdoors space. But how can you bring extra fun to your garden this summer? Here are five things you can add to your garden to help you and your family enjoy being outside even more…

Bedroom

How to make a platform bed from pallets

If you need a bed but are on a budget, why not make one yourself? Today’s blog post shows you how to build a platform bed on wheels using pallets, with step-by-step photos of the whole process. If, like me, you’re a fan of upcycling and like to build things with pallet wood, the newly published book Pallet Style by Nikkita Palmer and Billy Barker is the one for you. And the great news is that I’ve got a copy of the book to give away to one lucky winner so read on to enter..!

DIY

4 Essential home improvement tools you need (but can buy cheaply!)

If you’ve got a fixer upper home like me, you’ll inevitably have to invest in some tools to complete your DIY tasks. But it doesn’t have to be expensive to stock up on the tools you need. Plus, if you get the equipment to do most home improvement tasks yourself, it means that you won’t be spending too much on labour costs of getting a pro in.

Home buying

4 Simple ways to reduce the cost of your next house move

The average cost of moving house is around £10,000, can you believe it? But it doesn’t have to be this expensive. There are certain ways you can reduce the cost when you move house. From being flexible on moving dates, to decluttering your personal belongings before the move, today’s blog post covers the 5 best ways to save money when moving house…

DIY

My garden landscaping project: Storage solutions for my shed

With power tools, gardening items, DIY materials and cleaning supplies, my shed workbench was over-flowing so I decided it was about time to sort out some proper storage. If you’ve been struggling to stow everything safely in your shed, this could be the solution for you too…

HOME DIY

5 Ideas for using Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair as an accent piece

An accent piece needs to stand out in an interior and the stylish Bibendum chair is a versatile piece furniture to use as an feature piece in room. It goes beyond mere functionality and you can play around with colour, texture, and location in the room. Here’s a rundown of five among many ways you can use the Eileen Gray Bibendum chair as an accent piece in your interior:

HOME DIY

How to identify vintage Hornsea & 3 ways to style it in your home

If you’ve got some Hornsea pottery or simply like the mid-century style of their designs, here’s how you can identify the pottery as original pieces, and some suggestions for using the designs to style your modern home with a touch of mid-century pattern…

DIY

How to automate your appliances & lighting with smart sockets

Making the move to smart home is getting easier, with connectivity being made available for more home fixtures. This not only makes everyday tasks easier, it can also help to save energy and cut costs on your bills. Today, I’m researching smart sockets – whaaat?

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