Savvy mother-of-one saves nearly £6,000 on bathroom transformation

Savvy mother-of-one saves nearly £6,000 on bathroom transformation – spending just £140 on clever decorating hack

•  Alice Fleming, 28 from Midlothian, transformed the drab bathroom for just £140
• READ MORE: Savvy homeowner reveals how she added a whopping $650,000 to the value of her house by investing just $26,000 on DIY renovations

A savvy mother-of-one has revealed how she saved thousands of pounds transforming her bathroom thanks to clever money saving hack.

Alice Fleming, 28 from Gorebridge, Midlothian, says that she had never liked the room, but couldn’t afford the £6,000 she’d been quoted to makeover the space. 

Instead, the clinical support worker, who is currently expecting another baby, spent just £140 on budget-friendly supplies that she used to transform the space for a fraction of the price.

Explaining how she did it, Alice told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘We have been in our house for four years now and never liked the bathroom. I didn’t like the colours, and the room generally looked dull and tired.

‘We had previously looked at getting our bathroom done professionally. It would have cost us at least £6,000 and we just couldn’t afford that. They would have had to rip out the whole bathroom to change the tiles.

BEFORE: The bathroom was looking a little tired and drab before Alice flexed her creative skills to transform the room

AFTER: With a new colour scheme and fresh touches, the bathroom looks completely transformed

‘Over time the bathroom kept bothering me so I started thinking about how I could freshen the space up without spending thousands of pounds.’

She continued, saying that she is a member of a few DIY groups on Facebook, and had seen other people using Frenchic paint to decorate their kitchens.

‘I thought – why not my bathroom? So I went online and browsed through all the different colours,’ Alice said.

‘I also looked at posts others had made on the DIY forums and liked the makeovers where people had gone with two colours. I decided I wanted to do the same.

‘It was important for me that I brightened up the bathroom so it became more of an inviting space. 

‘I ordered samples online so I could be sure the shades were what I expected before spending the money. Fortunately I was happy with what I chose so I ordered 3 tins for £72. I got the shades Dazzle Me and Cool Beans from the Al Fresco range.’

According to Alice, there were other change they wanted to make too. 

For example, as well as brightening up the general colour scheme of the bathroom, they wanted to improve the look of the grouting without retiling the whole space, which she did using a grout pen which cost her £3.

Alice (pictured with her family) was able to totally transform her bathroom for a low price – thanks to research, hard work, and creativity

She continued: ‘The floor was the other big change with this room. I wanted to lay down vinyl which matched the new colour scheme and so we went to B&Q and picked it out. 

‘I got a style called Rome. In total it cost £65 which I think is a great price compared to getting the floor done professionally.

‘We were then ready to begin. The first step was to clean the whole bathroom with sugar soap. 

‘This helps with getting the paint to adhere to the walls better. We also lightly sanded the tiles before starting on the painting, for the same purpose.

‘We went in with white along the top, then beige for the bottom, to give the room a warmer feel. We applied three coats of the white and two of beige in the end.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Using paint and a grouting pen, the tiles looks completely different, and the room feels brighter and fresher

‘After the paint was all done and dried, I went round with the grout pen and then my husband fitted the vinyl.’

The biggest challenge for this project was time, says Alice, who explained: ‘We have a two-year -old running around and I’m also eight months pregnant – so it took a lot of planning when we would have the time. It took us two full days from start to finish.

‘I wouldn’t do anything differently if we were to do it again. We love the results. If anything I wish we had done it sooner! It’s now my favourite room in the house.’

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘By thinking outside the box and using budget-friendly supplies, Alice has achieved a stunning makeover at a fraction of the cost.

‘Her story is an inspiration to others who may feel discouraged by hefty price tags for home improvements.’

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