We transformed our boring, white bathroom upcycling bargains from Gumtree & eBay and saved over £7K
A MUM-OF-FOUR has shared how she completely transformed her bathroom using second-hand bargains she found.
Sharnene Jewell, 45, a housekeeper, and her husband Paul, 51, from Cardiff saved £7,000 doing the project themselves.
The thrifty couple managed to complete the renovation spending just £550 buying second-hand items on Gumtree and eBay and upcycling them.
Using second-hand pieces and doing them up themselves, the duo were able to save thousands on their bathroom, and give it a unique look.
One of their best bargains was a bath from Gumtree that should have cost £2,000, but that they got for just £150 which they sanded and polished.
Sharnene told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK "We had no outside help, my husband and I did all the work.
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"My mother-in-law paid £7,000 about 10 years ago to have her bathroom done, so I just knew we would be able to save loads by doing it ourselves."
The mum said the project roughly cost £550 in total, her husband had fitted their last bathroom so had knowledge on how to complete the project.
She also said YouTube was a great place to watch videos on how to complete DIY projects he hadn't done before.
The couple transformed their bathroom over five months as they had another bathroom and could spend the time looking for the perfect second-hand buys.
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She revealed how they transformed their bathroom on the group, saying: "The shower room on our top floor originally had a full-length cupboard behind the door which I felt was a waste of space because it was really not used for anything.
"We took the cupboard away and put a door opening from the landing to create a separate room.
“We then closed up the doorway from the walk-through dressing area and that created a fourth bedroom because we also blocked up the arch between the master bedroom and the dressing area.
“In the middle bathroom, the door when fully opened used to hit the bath panel, so I felt it would make a better shower room.
"So it just made sense to swap them around.
“I took the old shower cubicle out, and kept the original toilet, but moved the pipework.
“I also moved the sink and bath pipework.
“I bought tiles on sale in B&Q, at £8 a box for five boxes.
“I bought a drawer unit from Gumtree for £40, replaced the handIes with copper pipes and fittings from B&Q and painted them black. The handles cost £30.
"Buying second hand and upcycling makes me so much happier than buying new."
Sharnene Jewell
"I sanded and black washed the unit and painted some of it solid black.
“I bought a quarry cast bath from Gumtree for £150, which was sanded and polished.
“I also bought a freestanding bath tap from Amazon for £140, and a sink tap for £25 from eBay.
"The stone sink was £45 from eBay.
"I bought the glazed window from Gumtree for £20, and we handmade the frame.
"I used old parquet floor tiles as wall tiles from Gumtree, and they were free.
"The mirror was from TK Maxx for £18. It was silver, but we painted it black, with a brown rust effect."
Sharnene and her husband, Paul, were thrilled by the end results of their DIY project.
She added: "It’s my dream bathroom, I just love how warm it feels with all the dark wood and plants.
"I’m very much into industrial decor so I’m loving my industrial style window, black taps and stone sink, but I think what makes me most happy is how cheaply I managed to do it all for.
"Buying new is a lovely feeling, but when you create something with your own hands it just makes you feel so proud.
“I’m really not sure exactly how much we saved by doing it all ourselves, but my mother in-law paid £7,000 about 10 years ago, so it's definitely thousands: the bath alone to buy new is about £2,000.
"Buying second hand and upcycling makes me so much happier than buying new."
Sharnene added if you are doing your house up on a budget, looking out for second-hand bargains means you get better quality items for less money.
She also loved that you can upcycle them to make them unique to your home.
Tom Church, co-founder of , comments: “This beautiful industrial-style bathroom looks like it belongs in an edgy five-star hotel.
“To learn that Sharnene and Paul pulled this off for just £550 is amazing!
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“They have saved an absolute fortune by doing all the labour themselves, not to mention the ingenious Gumtree upcycling.
“This upcycling isn’t only a brilliant money-saving trick, but also means they have totally unique furniture that no one else in the world will have!"
