A woman who was quoted £1, 700 for a kitchen makeover has revealed how she saved £500 by doing the job herself.
Lianne Davie, 33, from Barry, South Wales, who works for an out of hours GP service, cut back on costs by using handles from Amazon and adding concrete tile effect vinyl floor for a more modern look.
‘I bought the house a year ago and although the kitchen was in brilliant condition, the white cabinets were boring and I could spot every bit of dirt on them,’ she said, speaking to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.
‘Plus, the little brown mosaic tiles just weren’t my style.’
Lianne Davie, 33, from Barry, South Wales, who was quoted £1, 700 for a kitchen makeover, has revealed how she saved £500 by doing the job herself. Pictured, before
Lianne gave the walls a lick of paint and sourced all the accessories, including the brushed gold cup style cupboard handles and black kitchen appliances. Pictured, after the transformation
When Lianne (pictured) was quoted £1, 700 by professionals, she told how she thought she could have a whole new kitchen for that price
And when Lianne was quoted £1, 700 by professionals, she told how she thought she could have a whole new kitchen for that price.
After going back to the drawing board and looking for a more affordable alternative, with a bit of DIY thrown in, she managed to crunch the cost of her dream kitchen down to £1,200, including a new floor and all the accessories.
‘Instead of spray-painting the cupboards, I found a local painter to do it by hand for £300,’ she explained. ‘I have always liked darker colours, such as navy. I’d seen the shade used in lots of different interiors projects like living rooms and hallways and thought it would look nice in the kitchen.
‘I was worried that it may darken the room and make it appear smaller, as it’s typically a shade that works well in big kitchens in large houses.
‘However, my kitchen window is pretty large and lets in lots of natural daylight, so I thought it would work out OK.
‘I had already removed the old handles, filled the holes and sanded them down ready for painting.’
Lianne told how she bought the house a year ago and although the kitchen was in ‘brilliant condition, she found the white cabinets were ‘boring.’ Pictured, before the transformation
Instead of spray-painting the cupboards, Lianne found a local painter to do it by hand for £300. Pictured, after the transformation
She found the perfect shade, called Antibes, from the range of GoodHome Durable Matt Emulsion paints available at B&Q (£16 for 2.5L).
‘Deciding what to do with the wall tiles was the hardest part of the process but, after some advice, I decided to keep them white,’ she said. ‘I used the same type of multi-purpose paint for the tiles, but in a brilliant white gloss.
‘I’d seen people using tile stickers for stairways so I decided to use them for a dedicated feature area behind the cooker. This saved me £50 compared to buying a piece of glass splashback.’
Lianne gave the walls a lick of paint and sourced all the accessories, including the brushed gold cup style cupboard handles and black kitchen appliances, on a budget too.
‘The handles were £10 from Amazon,’ she said. ‘They were classed as secondhand, but they were actually brand new.
‘I think this is the case when people buy them and open the packets but don’t end up using them. It was great news for me, as I got them much cheaper than they would have cost new.’
Handles added, Lianne then chose a concrete tile effect vinyl floor, fitted by a local handyman, which cost her £54. In total, the project took about two weeks to complete from start to finish.
The savvy DIY fan removed the old handles, filled the holes and sanded them down ready for painting. Pictured, before the transformation
In total, the project (pictured, complete) took about two weeks to complete from start to finish
‘I absolutely love the end result, it’s so warm and lovely,’ she said. ‘I hadn’t seen many completed kitchens combining all of my favourite colours and accessories before, but I knew it would be lovely.
‘Everyone is all about grey and blush pinks at the moment and most people want to brighten their kitchen, but I prefer the homely cottage style. It’s exactly what I wanted to recreate.
‘My advice to others doing their own kitchen revamp is to shop about,’ added Lianne. ‘Get a load of quotes. Look at reviews. And remember, secondhand isn’t a bad thing. Take your time and enjoy it.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk commented: ‘When upgrading your home, you should always get a variety of quotes to compare before deciding on the best route for you.
‘Lianne made a fantastic £500 saving and packed even more updates into her budget, including a brand new floor, which is a great result.
‘Secondhand buys from online marketplaces can come to the rescue when you are counting the pennies so make sure you do your research.’