I (me and my family) have been renovating our home for over year now and it is close to completion. I've posted some before and after photos on the blog before and the transformation is pretty amazing if I say so myself. The interior is pretty much finished and we have added lots of decorative pieces to make it feel like a home. When I was approached to take part in the Home Improvement Hero challenge I wasn't sure there was anything left to tackle in my house.
The challenge was to change the look, feel or function of a room on a low budget. I had £50 to spend and I wanted to do something ambitious. I could have changed the colour scheme of the bathroom with some new soft furnishings and wall art or made some cushion covers for the spare room but I had a crazy plan...
I aimed to change my grotty old shed in to a quaint Summer house and create an entirely new room.
First up was the slightly onerous task of clearing the shed. We have a huge garage at the back of the garden that's only half full and much more secure than this shed so it seemed sensible to relocate the contents of the shed up there.
I cleaned the shed, mopping the floors and clearing away all the cobwebs and years of dirt so we had a nice clean base to paint on. This is what I had to work with:
I liked the shed as it was, a bit shabby and run down and it reminded me of a beach hut or the Dylan Thomas Boat House but the wood hadn't been treated for years and needed some attention before the wood deteriorated and I suppose it was a little grubby.
After leaving the paint to dry over night I applied a top coat of white gloss suitable for wood to the wall and ceiling. Such a messy job, I still have some in my hair that just wont come out!
Next came the fun part of dressing my lovely new 'Summer house', I already had a lot of decorative items like the cushions and the table cloth so I only really needed to get some bunting to add colour.
My bargain Ikea lamp was £6 and I know this will get lots of use in the evening when I'm in here reading. I might pop back to Ikea and get some of those fairy lights that you pop batteries in to make it extra cosy.
I picked up this bit of lace in a charity shop for 20p to use as a table runner but it's never been used. I used little pins and a hammer to secure it to the wooden window frame to dress the window. Not entirely functional but the window is facing a wall so I'm not being overlooked in the shed.
Sookie loves the make over too, she's already dragged some toys in there.
Total Cost: £48.68
The challenge was to change the look, feel or function of a room on a low budget. I had £50 to spend and I wanted to do something ambitious. I could have changed the colour scheme of the bathroom with some new soft furnishings and wall art or made some cushion covers for the spare room but I had a crazy plan...
I aimed to change my grotty old shed in to a quaint Summer house and create an entirely new room.
First up was the slightly onerous task of clearing the shed. We have a huge garage at the back of the garden that's only half full and much more secure than this shed so it seemed sensible to relocate the contents of the shed up there.
I cleaned the shed, mopping the floors and clearing away all the cobwebs and years of dirt so we had a nice clean base to paint on. This is what I had to work with:
I liked the shed as it was, a bit shabby and run down and it reminded me of a beach hut or the Dylan Thomas Boat House but the wood hadn't been treated for years and needed some attention before the wood deteriorated and I suppose it was a little grubby.
Before painting the cupboard and walls we made sure we did the following:
- Removed flaking or defective paint and sanded down the surface to remove any sheen.
- Made sure the surface was clean (no dirt or grease) and dry.
- Removed any rusty nails with a claw hammer
To use the surface preparation paint I stirred thoroughly before use to ensure completely mixed, oil settles at the top.
I applied 1 coat with a brush/roller to previously coated surfaces or 2 coats to bare surfaces. I left 2 hours to dry between coats.
After leaving the paint to dry over night I applied a top coat of white gloss suitable for wood to the wall and ceiling. Such a messy job, I still have some in my hair that just wont come out!
Next came the fun part of dressing my lovely new 'Summer house', I already had a lot of decorative items like the cushions and the table cloth so I only really needed to get some bunting to add colour.
My bargain Ikea lamp was £6 and I know this will get lots of use in the evening when I'm in here reading. I might pop back to Ikea and get some of those fairy lights that you pop batteries in to make it extra cosy.
I picked up this bit of lace in a charity shop for 20p to use as a table runner but it's never been used. I used little pins and a hammer to secure it to the wooden window frame to dress the window. Not entirely functional but the window is facing a wall so I'm not being overlooked in the shed.
The gorgeous Hydrangea came from my front garden, I love my free supply of flowers in the summer.
Another charity shop find coming in at just £1.50, such a pretty print.
Sookie loves the make over too, she's already dragged some toys in there.
