A SAVVY homeowner renovated her new home’s kitchen, bathroom and staircase on her own using YouTube tutorials and saved over £20k.
Rachel James, 29, bought the two-bedroom house in Plymouth, Devon, just over two years ago.
Rachel knew the house needed work when she bought it – the bath was detached from the wall and was leaking into the kitchen.
She got to work as soon as she moved in and was quoted between £9k to £12k to renovate her bathroom.
The quotes Rachel received were above what she could afford so she decided to do the renovations on her own.
Rachel bought a sink off Facebook marketplace for £30 and fitted it herself after watching YouTube tutorials.
She bought a shower and a toilet, which she partly fitted herself with the help of a contractor for £500.
In total, Rachel’s bathroom makeover came to £2k – saving roughly £10k.
After the bathroom, Rachel turned to the the kitchen.
She bought and installed new countertops and cupboard doors with her dad’s help and installed the kitchen sink by herself.
In total, Rachel spent approximately £2.5k, which included a brand new washing machine.
Rachel, a personal assistant and beauty business owner from Plymouth, Devon said: “If you’re willing to give it a go, DIY is totally worth it.
“It’s fun, it’s rewarding and in my case, it means I can now afford a holiday.”
When Rachel moved into her new home, she had £2k saved for the upcoming renovations.
She began getting quotes for the work needed but it quickly became apparent that she wouldn’t be able to hire builders.
Rachel said: “I was originally quoted anywhere between £9k to £12k for the work needing done to my bathroom.
“It’s only a small bathroom at six feet by six feet, so I just didn’t have the budget to spend that much on such a small space.”
Rachel thinks she was able to save at least £10k on her kitchen’s renovation thanks to the help of her father who used to fit kitchens on yachts.
Rachel said: “I didn’t get a quote for this kitchen but the kitchen in my last home cost me £13k which was a similar size to this one.
“My dad was a real help for the kitchen.
“We bought new countertops and cupboard doors and replaced them.
“So we were able to keep the units as they were but take out the old elements I didn’t like.”
Rachel also tiled and fitted the kitchen sink on her own.
Rachel left the staircase until last and also managed to save £530 by doing it herself.
She bought all the materials under £170 and managed to transform her stairs in just eight hours.
Rachel aid: “I was getting quotes for everything in the house when I first moved in and I left the stairs until last.
“The builders quoted me £700 – £350 for the material and £350 for labour.
“I didn’t have £700 so I thought, why not try it myself?”
After watching YouTube tutorials and sourcing materials from a local timber yard, she and her dad tackled the tricky angles on the bottom half together.
Rachel then completed the top half on her own, finishing the entire project within eight hours.
She said: “My dad had never done a staircase before, but we worked it out together.
“The bottom half took us about four or five hours, then I did the top half alone in three hours.
“The hardest part was working out the angles, but honestly everything else was so easy.
“I saved all the labour costs, and if anything had gone wrong, I’d have called a professional but I didn’t need to.”
Eight Easy DIY Tips & Tricks
The ultimate guide for homeowners and renters:
- DIY expert’s lazy painting hack will make decorating your home much easier
- Save time and money with this easy DIY tiling hack to transform a room in under an hour
- Avoid these five mistakes in your next DIY project
- Transform your kitchen with this renter-friendly DIY hack
- Noisy neighbours? Here’s how to soundproof a room
- DIY expert shared her favourite strategy for painting around glass without tape
- If you want to give your kitchen a fresh look, here’s how to paint your kitchen cabinets
- Five tricks to spruce up every room in your home for less than £5
