WE’RE a house proud nation who spend more on home renovations than anything else.
But with the cost of living crisis driving the price of materials and labour up, more Brits are turning to DIY to bring their dream home to fruition.
That includes wives Natasha and Amy, who estimate they’ve saved a whopping £10,000 by renovating their bathroom themselves.
The pair transformed their out-dated lavatory into a “Victorian masterpiece” using freebies and second-hand buys from charity shops and car boot sales.
And they also created showstopper flooring without any tiles or wood.
“We go to a lot of charity shops, car boot sales and antique fairs,” Natasha revealed on Channel 5’s Your Dream Kitchen For Less.
“We find little bits and pieces that we like and are quite prepared to upcycle them, or do something a bit funky with them.
“And it gets that unique effect without paying the big money for it.”
Their uber-unique bathroom floor cost just pennies to make… literally.
In place of tiles, the couple laid down 1p coins in a triangular pattern to contrast the darker and lighter shades of nickel.
They used approximately 25,000 pennies – so £250 worth – and set them in place with a clear resin.
“The floor has been the real labour of love in this room,” Natasha, from Stockport, said.
“It took us about a week to do, so that’s a week’s worth of labour saved.
“In pennies, I think we probably spent less than £100, but there’s about £250 worth of pennies.
“There’s lots of funny little quirks in it: there’s a few penny farthings, there’s a little section where all the Queen’s heads face the same way.
“But it’s nice to sit on the toilet and have a little look down on the floor.
The pair also used a vintage Singer sewing machine base to hold up their sink.
“It was left in the house by the old owners,” Natasha revealed.
“It’s my favourite thing in the house, especially because the pedal still goes.
“You can push it and the wheel still moves.”
