We love a good DIY transformation.
It keeps costs down, adds character and makes for a great story.
One couple has shared the incredible transformation they undertook to change their old, tired-looking bathroom into a modern masterpiece – for just £2,300.
All the while teaching themselves DIY skills using only YouTube.
Lucy Young, 39 and her husband, Leon Young, 44, live with their three-year-old daughter, Florence, in an 1860s four-bedroom home in North Shropshire.
They always believed the property to be old and outdated and wished to change it into a comfortable and tranquil space.
In December 2019 they started that journey but decided to do it themselves and keep the budget low. Both had few DIY skills, but a series of YouTube tutorials taught them to do all the work.
‘YouTube was my go-to!,’ Lucy says. ‘We can pretty much do anything these days with a well-filmed ‘how to’ video and a ‘can do’ attitude. I think for anyone brave enough to give it a go themselves, do it! You’ll very likely surprise yourself with the outcome.
‘There is loads of great content out there for people wanting to tackle jobs themselves.’
They purchased plumbing materials and a bath suite from Victoria Plumbing, tiles from B&Q, flooring from For The Floor And More and a brand new vanity unit from Ikea. To begin, Leon redid all the plumbing in the bathroom to create more space for the new bath unit.
But the project was not always plain sailing. Plasterboard and tiles fell off the bathroom walls so Leon had to lay bricks and install new plasterboards on the walls and ceiling.
Meanwhile, Lucy was head of decorating and searched the internet for inspiration.
To implement her vision, she bought a mirror from Made.com, art prints from Dy and lighting from Dowsing and Reynolds. Leon also installed the electrics in the bathroom before painting and adding the radiator and maximalist lighting Lucy wanted.
To complete the room, the couple added printed vinyl flooring which was slightly cushioned, to make it safer for Florence.
Lucy says: ‘I’d originally wanted to go more traditional in this room and have a free-standing bath but we soon realised we might not get the overall effect with it being such a small space, so we decided we’d go modern.
‘The one thing I knew we should have was black tapware. We also knew we wanted to be bolder with colour in here, which started with making a decision to go for a boldly printed vinyl floor.
‘We chose it because we could change it easily enough if we decided we wanted to do something different again.
‘We had purchased the white tiles which was the safe option, as again, being a small room, we wanted to open it up and make it as airy as possible, but also we knew we could use colour on the walls and through accessories.
‘This way the tiles wouldn’t date too quickly, and we could change up the look easily enough with a lick of paint and new floor, should we need to.’
The entire bathroom renovation took the couple nearly a year to complete but they could not be happier with the final result.
‘We had a one-year-old child at the time, and Leon didn’t want to spend every spare weekend in the bathroom so we prioritised family time over speedily finishing the project,’ Lucy explains.
‘We were fortunate we had two other bathrooms available to use during the renovation.’
Lucy advises other DIY dreamers to spend time figuring everything out before you get started on a task that is important.
‘I researched a lot, probably too much sometimes,’ she adds. ‘But I think it’s important to make sure you know what you want, or more often in my case, what I don’t want!
‘And then talk it through with your partner or parents or whoever is helping you do the work, you can come up with great solutions when you share ideas.’
Full breakdown of bathroom renovation costs
Bath – £179.95
Victorian Plumbing Bath Trap – £4.95
Victorian Plumbing Shower Screen – £139.95
Victorian Plumbing Thermostatic Shower – £199.95
Victorian Plumbing Basin Mixer Tap – £59.95
Victorian Plumbing Bath Mixer Tap – £99.95
Victorian Plumbing Waste – £29.95
Victorian Plumbing Overflow Waste – £44.95
Victorian Plumbing Overflow Waste – £34.95
Victorian Plumbing Toilet – £171.95
Heat & Plumb Sink and Unit – £209.00
Ikea Vinyl Flooring – £138.00
For The Floor And More Marine Ply for floor – £30.00
Cadstones Wood Yard Tiles – £270.00
B&Q Tile Edging – £10.00
B&Q Towel Radiator – £85.00
Amazon Radiator Valves – £29.95
Amazon Concealed Access Panel (hide the pipes) – £106.00
Amazon Pendants x2 – £94.00
Wayfair Paint – £50.00
Little Greene Pull Cord – £33.00
Dowsing & Reynolds Mirror – £120.00
Made.com Bamboo ladder towel holder – £30.00
Black Velvet Studio Oak Shelving & Side panel – £125.00
Total: £2,296.45
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