DIYer Saves £700 Transforming Vestibule Into ‘Country Chic’ Space
- Jonathan, 50, wanted to upgrade his vestibule on a budget
- He picked up supplies from eBay, B&M, Home Bargains & more
- By grabbing discounts and going DIY he saved over £700
Those of us who have enclosed entry spaces, or vestibules, just outside our front doors have likely never given them much thought. However, over the years these areas can easily look outdated and run-down - which is why one savvy DIYer decided to transform his vestibule on a budget.
Jonathan Barnes, a 50-year-old sprayshop manager from Rochdale, Manchester, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘When the property was built in the 60s, the vestibule was originally an open porch. It was enclosed by the previous owner sometime during the 00s. However, apart from a lick of paint, it was never fully renovated. Even the old coal hatch still remained!
‘The previous owner had extended the kitchen in order to create a dining space. They achieved this by extending into the hallway, thus reducing the overall size of the vestibule. This created a dilemma for me when it came to finding a good space for hanging coats and shoe storage without it looking cluttered and intrusive, so I decided to renovate the old vestibule to meet my needs.
‘When I first started the renovations, I had no idea what the overall design was going to be. Then I purchased the floor tiles, which I came across by pure chance whilst I was looking for something completely different online. So basically, my design ended up revolving around the floor tiles, which have a theme I’ve called Country Chic.
‘I got my supplies from various places including B&Q, Amazon, Home Bargains, B&M and eBay. I was able to keep costs down by shopping around. I picked up four 12mm MDF boards from B&Q and tile grout for £20 from Amazon.
‘I got two packets of interlocking floor mats from Home Bargains for £24 - I repurposed these as wall insulation. At Al Murad Tiles I got Provenza Moroccan tiles for £91.65 (saving 10% with a discount code) and tile adhesive for £18.
‘On Amazon I bought 2.5 litres of Dulux paint in the shade Overtly Olive for £35, four cast iron coat hooks for £15.80 and a hexagon shelves set for £22. I also got two specialist door hinges for £10.
‘Then I went over to eBay and got an antique bronze light switch and plug socket for £15.80, followed by a bamboo shoe bench which was £30 (reduced from £50). After that I got 2.5 litres of white ceiling paint for £10 from B&M and two lots of grip fill adhesive for £3.40 from Screwfix.
‘At the local joiners I got 18mm of solid oak tread for £30, and a neighbour kindly donated three LED spotlights with a sensor. The total cost for my supplies was £449.65.
‘I was now able to start work. First, I had to remove the old laminate flooring and ceiling light by using a small crowbar and screwdriver respectively. This task took around three-quarters of an hour to complete.
‘Next, I attached the 14mm wood batons that I had left over from a previous project to the walls and ceiling. The purpose of these was to create a void between the wall and the MDF panels so that I could place insulation inside. They also created good fixing points for attaching the panels.
‘I used interlocking foam floor mats from Home Bargains as insulation, because I struggled to find any that were purposely made and slim enough to fit in the void. I attached the batons with grip fill adhesive and 40mm screws. This process, including adding the insulation, took me three and a half hours.
‘It was now time to cut the MDF panels to size and attach them to the walls and ceiling. In doing so, I was able to cover up the door leading to the pantry and the old coal hatch. These were both surplus to requirements as I also had access via the kitchen.
‘I used a mini circular saw to cut the panels, and I used 25mm screws and adhesive to secure them to the wooden batons. This was the most time-consuming part of the process and took about six hours from start to completion.
‘The next step was to cut holes in the ceiling, ready for inserting the spotlights and sensor, and to cut the holes for the new light switch and plug socket. l used a hole saw attached to a drill for the lights and a jigsaw was used for the sockets. This process took an hour and a half.
‘I then moved onto making the skirting boards by using the offcuts from the wall panels. These were cut to size using a mini circular saw and attached to the walls with adhesive; this process took around an hour.
‘The next process was to cover the old concrete step with the piece of solid oak timber that I purchased as an offcut from a local joinery company for £30. Again, I used a mini circular saw to cut it to size and secured with grip fill. This took three-quarters of an hour to complete.
‘Next up, it was time to tile the floor. This was the process I was most looking forward to despite having never done it before. I watched a couple of tutorial videos on YouTube on how to cut the tiles. I decided to cut all of the tiles to the required size first and lay them out in their respective order before applying any adhesive; this was to ensure that they were all cut correctly.
‘I had to complete the laying of the tiles in two sessions because it was not possible to walk on them whilst the adhesive was setting. I thoroughly enjoyed this task and found it very therapeutic too. I used a small angle grinder with a tile blade to cut the tiles and shape them. The whole process from start to completion including grouting took just over five hours in total.
‘I then moved onto making a discreet cupboard door by using another offcut from the wall panels. I added a piece of skirting board to the bottom in order to help it blend into the wall almost seamlessly.
‘Because I added a section of skirting board to the door, and combined with the fact that the door would open up against an adjoining wall also with skirting board attached, I found that standard door hinges were not suitable, so I asked for advice on one of my Facebook DIY groups. This proved to be a good call, because within a few hours, I was advised on the most suitable hinge types to use, and they worked perfectly. Making and fitting the door took an hour and three-quarters.
‘The final task was to paint the walls, ceiling and skirting boards and varnish the oak tread. I used quality paints and wood oil for this process and it took me about four hours.
‘Working in such a limited space meant that I had to do most of my wood and tile cutting in the garden, which was OK when the weather was fine, but for a large part, it rained, so the whole project took longer than I had anticipated. Despite this, it was one of the easiest and most enjoyable renovation projects I have undertaken to date.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Jonathan has managed to turn his average-looking vestibule into a modern and chic space for a tiny price compared to getting a professional in.
‘A simple Google search reveals that the average hourly cost for a handyman in the UK is £30, so considering the fact that Jonathan spent just over 24 hours on this project, getting someone else in to do the work would have set him back around £720. He has therefore saved the best part of £1000 by completing this project himself - nice one!’
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I love how you have transformed your old vestibule into a bright modern look. I like the idea of using the interlocking foam floor mats from Home Bargains as insulation. Well done on doing this work yourself and saving a lot of money. 