A savvy mum who was quoted £32, 000 to renovate her home managed to complete the project on her own – and it cost just £2,000.
Catherine Norris, 36, from Leicester, who runs her own business, Memory Thread Co, sourced materials from the likes of Dunelm, Amazon and Asda to keep prices down.
‘As a family, we all really love cooking and baking, but I hated spending time in my old kitchen,’ the mum-of-one said, speaking to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk.
‘It was dark and tired and sad. We got some eye-watering quotes at the end of 2019 for a new kitchen to be put in, so I started thinking about how we could refresh what we had instead.’
Catherine Norris, 36, from Leicester, was quoted £32k to renovate her kitchen (pictured, before the transformation), so decided to cut back costs by doing it herself
The savvy homeowner used her time in lockdown wisely and transformed her ‘dark and sad’ kitchen into a chic and stylish haven. Pictured, after the impressive makeover
Catherine painted an old tub chair and a side table that both had seen better days with Frenchic paint. Pictured, before the modern makeover
The thrifty mum-of-one sourced materials from Dunelm, Amazon and Asda to keep prices down. Pictured, the cosy botanical boho seating area at the end of Catherine’s kitchen
Catherine decided to put her time in lockdown to good use and browsed through Pinterest to find inspiration.
‘I really liked the look of sage green cupboards and bright white walls with copper touches – and at the same time I wanted to create a cosy botanical boho seating area at the bottom end of the kitchen,’ she said.
‘We had a horrendous brown carpet, so in February we had a local company, Mittons, put a new LVT floor down, which cost £1,150.’
With the lockdown looking more certain to happen, the savvy mum-of-one bought paint for the cupboards, tiles and door handles.
‘I used Frenchic for everything, and the total cost was £110,’ she explained. ‘I also painted an old tub chair and a side table that both had seen better days with the Frenchic paint.
‘The lockdown restrictions did make purchasing what we needed difficult. Instead of popping to Homebase which is just up the road we had to order everything online and some things were running out of stock fast, especially in the larger chains.’
The thrifty homeowner went on to say that white emulsion for the walls was impossible to find, but fortunately she had enough leftover from a previous project which she found stashed in the loft.
‘I took a punt on the wallpaper without seeing a sample, because everywhere was selling out,’ said Catherine. ‘I finally found it online from an independent shop and bought it for £65!’
Catherine ordered the sofa from Dunelm for £299, and most of the decor from Amazon or Asda. Pictured, the colourful seating area after the transformation
Catherine ordered the sofa from Dunelm for £299, and most of the decor from Amazon or ASDA – all online.
She purchased artificial plants, a copper vase, lamp and lantern from Asda which totaled around £100, while the mirror, £60 and the rug, £25, were snapped up from Amazon.
The mum-of-one (pictured) is delighted with how the project has turned out, and found the transformation to be an excellent activity to undertake during the lockdown
‘In total for everything – for the new floor (which was the most expensive thing), the paint, wallpaper and decor – we have a new and modern kitchen for less than £2,000 – less than 10 per cent of the cheapest quotes we were given late last year,’ said Catherine.
The mum-of-one is delighted with how the project has turned out, and found the transformation to be an excellent activity to undertake during the lockdown.
‘It took around a month to prep and paint everything in between working and homeschooling my daughter,’ she added.
‘I was really very glad of the project keeping me busy in the midst of all the craziness and uncertainty of lockdown, it was a welcome distraction.
‘And it’s a kitchen that I want to spend time in! I love cooking in there now, or sitting with a glass of something and chatting to my husband as he sorts out tea.
Catherine liked the look of sage green cupboards and bright white walls with copper touches. Pictured, the kitchen and seating area after the impressive transformation
‘My daughter has so far made an amazing chocolate cake and a delicious spaghetti bolognaise. Fingers crossed for more food produced by the smallest member of the household soon! It’s a bright and happy room now and it lifts my mood to go in.’
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, commented: ‘It’s disheartening when you really want to transform your home but companies give you extortionate price after extortionate price to take on the project.
‘However, Catherine is proof that you shouldn’t despair, but instead get stuck into the renovation yourself!
‘She’s proven that creativity, hard work and sticking to a tight budget can work wonders for your home!’
Following the impressive makeover, the kitchen is now a place Catherine wants to spend time in. Pictured, Catherine’s daughter giving a helping hand with the dinner