DIY Mum Transforms Dumping Ground Into Incredible Conservatory For Just £200
- Emma George, 27, was not making the most of her freezing conservatory
- Spending just £200, she turned it into an energy-efficient and chic space
- Emma used supplies from B&Q, IKEA and Amazon
If you’re not getting the most out of your home but don’t even know where to start when it comes to transforming it, take inspiration from this incredible budget renovation.
Emma George, 27, a vegan baker who is currently pregnant with her fifth child, was tired of her valuable conservatory space going to waste.
The room was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer, and had become a dumping ground for the family’s stuff.
Emma decided to take matters into her own hands and managed to turn the conservatory into a warm, efficient and stylish space - all for under £200.
She upcycled her existing furniture, sourced cheap blinds, energy-efficient underlay and flooring, and installed lights and MDF herself.
Emma, who lives in Birmingham told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “Our conservatory just wasn’t a usable space - it was so cold in the winter and boiling in the summer that we just used to dump everything in and never ate at the table.
"I decided that’s not how I wanted us to eat as a family and that I needed to make it so we could all eat together.
"The tiled floor was freezing and the bricks so cold so on a tight budget I couldn’t afford to have it all professionally done.
"I contacted a local timber yard for some MDF to cover the bare brick as it helps to keep it warmer, and they cut the sheets to the right height then I have a table saw so cut them to the lengths to fit.
"It was bare brick before which was freezing cold. The MDF is only the floor and then I cut it all to size and attached it to the wall to cover all the brick up.
"I re-wired the plugs on the outside of the MDF and stuck them on which made a huge difference. I then primed and painted them.
"We painted the wall and then I painted the chairs using Frenchic paint as they were very well-worn but we couldn’t afford a new table and chairs. I also painted the table legs so they matched in.
"I was quoted over £500 for made to measure blinds which I refuse to pay so I bought them from Argos for £80 and cut every single one down to size. The cutting kit was £8.
"I bought the lights online from Value Lights for £30 and shopped around for discount codes and managed to get 15% off. I then installed the lights myself.
"I was looking for the bulbs and could only find them for £7 each, so I kept searching and managed to get eight from Amazon for £20.
"I painted the IKEA Kallax boxes as my daughter had drawn all over them and looked a state so instead of replacing them, I painted with the same paint as the room so they matched.
"I also painted the window sills in the Frenchic Dazzle Me paint as it brightened up the room instantly.
"Altogether it’s added around 10 degrees Celsius onto the room and made it a much warmer and usable room where we can all eat together as a family and the kids can play which is a huge bonus!
"The flooring was gifted to me by Let’s Pay Weekly as I've set up a YouTube channel to show other women how to do what’s typically referred to as ‘male’ jobs and show them how they can do it themselves with a little bit of knowledge and save themselves a fortune!
"I’m hoping this will encourage people to give DIY a go. I will also be filming more DIY videos and putting them on the channel in the hope to help people.
"The paint I already had but would have been about £40, the blinds cost £80 and the curtains are from Online Home Shop for £13 - they are the thermal ones so also help with keeping the heat in.
“The clock and tiebacks were from Amazon and cost £17 for both, the bulbs were from Amazon for £20 for eight and the rug is from Kukoonrugs and it’s the aspen blush.
“The plant pot I already had from Next in the sale, and the underlay was from Screwfix for £25. I used the wood fibre eco underlay as it’s thick and good for holding the warmth.
"I’d asked on my Instagram page @_thegeorgetribe what people wanted to see more of and people said DIY - that’s why I started the channel as that way everyone can see it.”
Emma is delighted with the final look of her chic conservatory - especially when she thinks about how much she saved doing it all on her own.
“It cost me around £200 in total to transform my conservatory,” she adds.
"I dread to think of the cost if I had got someone in to do it. An electrician alone charges £40 a light and £20 a plug so that would have been £120.
"I know the blinds were quoted £500 just to have made and that’s without fitting.
"A laminate floor fitter would have charged £130 for the day just to fit.
“It would also have cost a lot to get someone to cut all the MDF to the right sizes and fit them on. Then I would have had to spend money buying a new table and chairs instead of upcycling them.
“I've saved at least £600 by doing the lights, plugs, flooring and blinds myself.
"Also, by doing it myself, I've learnt new skills and saved money I can use on my next project.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “What an incredible example of money-saving at its best! It would have been so much easier for Emma - especially during the tiring days of pregnancy - to hire professionals to make her conservatory cosy and energy-efficient, but by doing it herself, she’s saved herself an absolute fortune.
“The conservatory now not only looks incredible, but is also finally a useable space for her family - and by making it more eco-friendly, she’ll help the planet and save on energy bills too."
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