I don’t know about you, but my bathroom seems to accumulate stuff. One day it’s clean and tidy with everything put away and the next, there are bottles of haircare and beauty products everywhere. Loo rolls and cleaning sprays soon stack up and towels cover every surface.

So, how can we make the most of the space we have in our (often small) bathrooms so that we can store our personal items away and keep the room looking neat? Here are some ideas for practical storage solutions…

Vanity units

While bathroom vanity units were very popular in the mid-century era, since the 90s it seems like any kind of under-sink cupboards have been ripped out and never replaced. But that area underneath the basin is just wasted space if you don’t use it for storage!

Sure, it looks nice and clear – and gives a bathroom a contemporary vibe – however, it’s also the space that can easily accumulate lots of bathroom cleaning products just lined up beside the pedestal if you haven’t got any other storage in the room.

That’s why I think the first addition to a bathroom should be a cupboard beneath your sink. This doesn’t mean you have to get an expensive plumber in to disconnect the old sink and replace it with a whole new integrated sink-and-cabinet set-up – although, of course, you can do this and it’ll look fantastic!

For a thriftier option, you can easily add extra storage with freestanding vanity units, which can either fit under your existing sink or you could add a countertop basin if you want a fresh new look. A freestanding option means you don’t have to screw anything into the tiles on the wall (and risk cracks!) and, if you’re not adding a new sink, it’s easy to install yourself to save money.

A double-door cabinet will give you masses of extra space to store all those cleaning products, extra toilet rolls and even folded towels. You can add a little basket or tub for each member of the family inside the cupboard, where they can keep their own toiletries.

Mirrored cabinet

Make your storage work harder by combining a mirror with a cabinet. Choose one that’s quite shallow so that it doesn’t protrude too far into the room, as you’ll only need it to be the depth of your biggest shampoo bottle in order to store your family’s haircare and bath products.

I’ve previously upcycled a bathroom wall cabinet with a colourful vinyl-wrapped design (which is still looking great 6 years on!) and it provides all the space we need for our toiletries and dental care products over the sink – plus it provides a handy mirror, an essential for any bathroom.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive addition to the bathroom. You can pick up secondhand cabinets to upcycle for just a few pounds (mine came from a charity shop) but you can also DIY your own. If you’ve got a bit of pallet wood and an old mirror, you can easily build a nautical-style bathroom cabinet to the dimensions that fit your space perfectly.

Freestanding storage

Any small spaces around the bath or beside the shower cubicle can be used for storage by adding some freestanding pieces to the room. Just something small like the little bathroom shelving unit that I DIY’d from scaffold boards works really well next to the tub as a space for beauty products, a humidity-loving houseplant or a cup of tea to enjoy while you’re soaking in the bath.

If you can make your storage double-up with another purpose, that’s an even more efficient use of space in the smallest room in the house. For example, I’ve previously made a driftwood-style laundry hamper from old pallets to stow away those used towels and this doubles up as a seat, or a side table to hold all the things I need while I’m in the bath (yes, more tea!).

Each of these ideas will hopefully give you more storage space to keep your bathroom looking tidy and all your toiletries and cleaning items neatly organised. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve used any other bathroom storage ideas in your own home, I’d love to hear your hacks for keeping the room tidy.

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Proactive is Cheaper: Plumbing Maintenance to Save You Money

Maintaining your plumbing is like going to the dentist – an ounce of prevention beats a pound of expensive repairs. So, being proactive with your plumbing maintenance can save you money. Here’s how:

• Leak Hunt: Small leaks add up fast! Look for damp spots under sinks, water stains on ceilings, and unexplained spikes in your water bill. Bonus: Many water companies offer free leak detection kits.

• Insulate Pipes: Burst pipes equal frozen cash. Insulating exposed pipes, especially in winter, is cheap insurance against potential damage.

• Drain TLC: Don’t let hair and gunk build up. Invest in drain strainers and use safe, regular drain cleaning methods (baking soda and vinegar are your friends!).

• Know Your Shut-off: If a leak springs, the main water shut-off valve is your lifeline. Find it, tag it, and make sure everyone in your home knows where it is.

Before You Call the Plumber: DIY That Can Actually Help

Not every plumbing problem needs a professional. With the right tools, know-how, and a bit of elbow grease, you can often solve common issues and keep your money where it belongs – in your pocket.

• The Mighty Plunger: Your trusty plunger isn’t just for toilets. Simple clogs in sinks and showers can often be dislodged with plunging action. Make sure you have a good seal and plunge away!

• Harness the Snake: For tougher clogs, a basic drain snake (or auger) can work wonders. Feed it into the drain, twist to break up the clog and flush.

• Swap Out the Showerhead: Tired of weak water pressure? Low-flow showerheads often restrict water more than necessary. Swapping for a better model improves your shower and can cut water usage.

• Increase the Pressure: Likewise, if you’re struggling with slow-running water, a booster water pump can improve the water pressure for every area in the house, from laundry appliances to the bathtub.

• Toilet Tank Tweaks: Many running toilet issues stem from the tank. Adjust the float to ensure the water level is correct and replace the flapper valve if it’s worn or leaky. You can find kits and tutorials for specific toilet brands online.

• Water Heater Woes: No hot water? Before calling for help, check the pilot light on a gas heater or for a tripped breaker on an electric one. Basic troubleshooting could save you a call-out fee.

• Caulking Cleanup: Leaky seals around tubs and sinks let water sneak into places it shouldn’t. Remove old caulk, clean thoroughly, and re-silicone for a watertight seal.

• Fix Loose Fixtures: Wobbly faucets or showerheads often just need tightening. Check under the sink or behind the fixture for easily adjustable screws or nuts.

Important Reminders:

Whether you’re tinkering with a tap or doing some extensive bathroom remodeling, here are some reminders that will save you a lot of trouble when working on plumbing tasks:

• Turn Off the Water: Before most DIY fixes, locate the water shut-off valve for that specific fixture (often under the sink or near the toilet).

• The Internet is Your Friend: Dozens of reputable websites and videos offer step-by-step guides for almost any basic plumbing repair.

• Know Your Limits: Never mess with gas lines. And if you feel overwhelmed or unsure, calling a plumber is the safest (and often most cost-effective) option.

Don’t Get Soaked: Smart Ways to Save on Pro Plumbing

Plumbers are lifesavers, but they don’t have to break the bank. Here’s how to save:

• Get Multiple Quotes: Don’t just grab the first number. Get at least three quotes, compare hourly rates vs. flat fees, and ensure everyone’s licensed and insured.

• Bundle Up: Have a few small jobs? See if a plumber will give a discount for doing them in one visit, saving you call-out fees.

• Timing Matters: If possible, avoid emergency calls. Some plumbers offer off-peak discounts for non-urgent work.

• Ask Questions: Don’t be afraid to ask about warranties on parts, potential future issues, and how you can prevent the same problem from recurring.

Invest Now, Save Later: Upgrades Worth Considering

While there’s an upfront cost, these upgrades pay off over time:

• Low-Flow Fixtures: Modern showerheads, toilets, and faucets save significant water (and money) without sacrificing performance.

• Tankless Water Heater: They heat water on demand, avoiding that constant energy drain of keeping a full tank hot. Consider pros/cons for your household size.

• Pipe Upgrades: If you have very old pipes, replacing them may be preventative. This is a big job, so get expert advice on whether it’s cost-effective for you.

Extra Tips

• Check for Rebates: Many areas offer rebates for water-efficient upgrades, potentially offsetting your costs.

• Community Matters: Join local online groups for recommendations on fair-priced, reliable plumbers in your area.

I hope these tips will help you to prevent plumbing issues from happening and will save you some money if they do occur. Let me know your own plumbing maintenance hacks in the comments below, it would be great to hear how you keep your shower flowing well and your toilet flushing perfectly!

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I wanted to create some storage that would coordinate with my dark blue bathroom tiles and gold accessories. I chose a Moorish-inspired pattern to create a spa-like Turkish Bath feeling at home.

This method of adding pattern using self-adhesive vinyl can be used on a variety of furniture items and you can use any pattern you like to add colour to wooden, melamine, glass or metal surfaces.

You will need

Self-adhesive matt vinyl from www.vinylwarehouse.co.uk – I used these shades:

• Turquoise 366

• Sky blue 358

• Cobalt blue 359

• Mid blue 354

• Metallic gold 391

• Lint-free cloth

• Brother ScanNCut CM900

• Middle-tack adhesive mat 12” x 12”

Step 1

Turn on the ScanNCut and press the ‘Home’ button to auto-connect to the WiFi network. Choose a shape or pattern from the built-in collection in the ‘Pattern’ section or search for a free downloadable pattern online. I used a pattern from freesvgs.blogspot.co.uk. Make sure that you’re using a Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) file as this can be resized without causing pixilation around the edges, ensuring a smooth cut.

Step 2

Import the SVG file into the ScanNCutCanvas Workspace program. Adjust the size if needed and, when you’re happy with the pattern, click ‘download’ to transfer the pattern to the ScanNCut via your WiFi connection. Click ‘ScanNCut Transfer’ and on the ScanNCut screen, click the cloud ‘Transfer’ button to retrieve the pattern from ScanNCutCanvas workspace.

Step 3

Cut a piece of vinyl to fit onto the cutting mat. Peel the protective film cover on a middle tack adhesive cutting mat and press the vinyl onto the tacky surface. Use the spatula tool to smooth out any bubbles under the vinyl. Load the mat into the ScanNCut by pressing the ‘Mat’ button. Click scan.

Step 4

The scanned piece of vinyl will show on the ScanNCut screen and you can use the stylus to drag and reposition the pattern to make sure it’s within the piece of vinyl. Check the blade depth and speed settings for cutting vinyl and click the ‘tools’ button to adjust the settings to suit the vinyl you’re using. Press ‘Cut’, then ‘Start’ and the blade will begin cutting the pattern from the vinyl.

Step 5

When the pattern cutting is complete, use the spatula tool to remove the vinyl from the middle tack adhesive cutting mat and put the protective film back onto the cutting mat. When you’re ready to begin decorating the cabinet, use the spatula tool to remove each self-adhesive vinyl shape from the backing paper.

Step 6

Clean the bathroom cabinet with soap and water and allow to dry thoroughly. If you’re decorating a new cabinet, give it a wipe-over with a lint-free cloth to remove any dust from the packaging. When the cabinet is clean and dry, you can begin applying the adhesive vinyl shapes.

Step 7

Start at one corner and work your way along the edges of the cabinet, alternating colours as you go. Be sure to leave a small gap between the shapes, so that the white frame and mirror show through and create an ‘outline’ of the pattern.

Step 8

When you reach a join at the edge of the mirror, place the shape into the pattern as usual and fold over the edge of the mirror, onto the inside of the cabinet. With the door closed, create the second half of the pattern on the frame by lining up a shape in the same colour on top and sticking down the edge that meets the frame, not attaching the part of the shape that overlaps the mirror. Open the door and stick the rest of the shape to the inside of the frame.

Step 9

Continue adding to the pattern until you are happy with the spread of the design. I added a few extra shapes to break up the straight edges and make the finish around the mirror look more random.

Also, you don’t need to leave a gap between the vinyl shapes if you want to completely cover up the cabinet. Choose a pattern that tessellates perfectly and stick the vinyl shapes beside each other.

I hope this technique will help you to add extra colour and pattern to your own furniture pieces in the future. Let me know what upcycling projects you’re working on at the moment in the comments below and please feel free to tag me in your photo on Instagram so I can see your progress!

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Before buying anything new for my home, I stop for a moment and think about whether I could make it myself. Could it actually be better than a budget buy if I hand-make the item I need? Do I already have something that I can upcycle and customise?

If I’m able to save some money along the way that’s great but, most of all, I like being able to choose the exact dimensions, colours and finishes for my ‘new’ furniture. How else can you get custom-made furniture for next-to-no money??

Let’s grab a pallet and make some driftwood-style bathroom storage!

You will need:

• 2 x Brick pallets
• 75mm holesaw
• 35mm forstner drill bit
• Palm sander and sandpaper
• Screwdriver and screws
• Small right-angle brackets
• Hammer and nails
• Wood glue
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Rope
• Clear topcoat varnish

Laundry bin

This DIY laundry bin also doubles up as a seat in your bathroom (or somewhere to put your cup of tea while you’re relaxing in the bath). It’s a low-cost way to get that driftwood, beach hut style in your bathroom and the project shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to complete.

I’ve used my Addis bin inside the wooden frame, so that it can be easily removed when you need to take a load of washing to the machine. You can use any bin you like, just adjust the measurements of the pallet frame to accommodate the size of the bin you’re using.

STEP 1

Begin by cutting the planks off the top of a brick pallet. This is the kind of lightweight pallet that has 7cm x 3cm framing between the planks, rather than big chunky blocks.

STEP 2

Use the internal 7cm x 3cm framing to build two ‘A’ frames, using two uprights and two cross beams. These will need to be big enough to allow the bin you’re using to sit inside the frame. Use wood glue on all the joins and nail into place. Then make another two rectangle frames – the same size as the ‘A’ frame but as if the legs of the ‘A’ have been cut off.

STEP 3

Glue and screw the four frames together at the corners and then add a couple of planks inside, across the lower beam of the ‘A’ frame to make a base for the internal bin. Nail in place.

STEP 4

Clad the outside of the frame with pallet wood. Add wood glue between all the planks and nail onto the frame. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before using a palm sander to sand down the wood until it is smooth. Try to create curved edges so that it resembles well-worn driftwood.

STEP 5

Cut 4 planks of pallet wood to create a lid that’s the right size for the top of the laundry bin. Screw two planks across the underside of these four planks, to hold them together, using wood glue on all the joins.

STEP 6

To create a handle hole in the lid of the laundry bin, use a 35mm diameter forstner bit to drill two holes and then use a jigaw to cut lines between them. Sand down all the rough edges.

STEP 7

The final touch is to paint and seal the finished laundry bin. You can go for a whitewashed effect by watering down some emulsion paint, or you could choose a solid colour paint. We decided to keep the wood grain visible by simply spray painting the wood with a clear top-coat sealing varnish. The choice is yours!

Bathroom caddy

This handy storage caddy can help to keep your bathroom shelves tidy. You can make it as big as you like and can add as many cups as needed to accommodate all the family’s toothbrushes and bathroom essentials. I’ve used Addis 330ml Seal Tight beakers in this project, which can be removed and cleaned as needed, but you could also use old jam jars or any storage tubs you have.

STEP 1

Cut two planks of pallet wood to the length you require, and another two side pieces to accommodate the depth of the cups you plan to use. Draw line down centre of one of the longer pieces ensure that the holes will be central on the plank.

STEP 2

Use a holesaw that’s the same diameter as the storage cup or jar you’re planning to use. In this instance, a 75mm holesaw was idea for holding the 330ml Seal Tight beakers. Decide on the spacing between the cups you’re using, and then use the central pencil line as a guide to position the drill bit when cutting out the holes.

STEP 3

Again, you can create a driftwood effect by sanding down the rough edges on all the planks using a palm sander.

STEP 4

Once the wood is completely smooth, you can use right-angle corner brackets on the internal corners to fix the unit together, using wood glue where the planks meet at the corners. Add some nails from the underside of the caddy for extra stability.

STEP 5

Finally, paint, stain, varnish or whitewash the wood to coordinate with the finish of your laundry bin and allow to dry. You can decorate the jars or cups by using a glue gun to hot glue some rustic rope around the top, to tie in with the nautical, coastal vibe.

So, there you have it – two handy storage items for your bathroom that bring beachy, driftwood style to your bathroom, using upcycled pallet wood.

Let me know if you have a go at making these DIYs in the comments below. And, as with all our projects, please take care while using tools and materials and be sure to carry out projects safely. Your use of this guide is entirely at your own risk – stay safe!

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When I moved into my fixer-upper home, the bathroom was the very first room that we decorated. We needed to finish it before we could move into the house, as it was completely unusable in its original state. And, let’s face it – there’s never a good time to be without a bathroom when you’re already living in a house!

I was conscious of the damage that was being done by the leaking plumbing and not-quite-connected waste pipe from the toilet. The room was going to need water damage restoration before we could even start on the aesthetics. So, with almost no budget available, we gave it a top-to-bottom makeover and, I’m pleased to say, it’s still looking good after five years.

Sure, we’ll probably have to do some regrouting of the tiles and I’d like to repaint the walls, but it still looks nice, the plumbing is functioning well and I’m happy with the space we’ve created. That said, there are still many more ways that you can save money on building a bathroom (I made a few mistakes, oops!) and I’m sharing a few tips today. Heres goes…

Buy your sanitaryware individually

Sometimes you can save money by buying a bathroom suite bundle. We did this when we renovated our bathroom – I bought a package in the January sales for just £300, which included the bathtub, sink, toilet and taps etc. BUT, this was only a good deal because all the items just happened to be the right sizes and had the right functions for our needs.

But what if you need a specific size of bath to fit into the space available? Or maybe you need a toilet with a stronger flush to move the waste water successfully? A bathroom vanity unit with handy built-in storage? Or a tub that incorporates a shower section to make the most of a small room? That’s when it makes sense to buy sanitaryware individually and make up a suite yourself.

You can still get the whole bathroom fitted at once even if you buy the pieces separately. The new bath can be fitted at the same time as the basin, shower and toilet installation by just one plumber, but you might be able to save money on each piece of sanitaryware by buying it individually.

Although suppliers like to bundle bathroom items together, it won’t be a money-saving option if you need a specific product for your room. Instead, do your research online to find the sanitary items that are right, rather than the cheapest. Did you know that you can even compare toilets and read reviews online via a toilet review blog? Researching products online will help you to find the best options for the room AND the lowest prices.

Plus, it’s much easier to make savings on your bathroom if you can compare products online rather than traipsing around showrooms. AND you won’t need to buy all your bathroom items from just one supplier – you can shop around for the best deal on each item. If you can get a loo from one shop at 50% less than the exact same one at the store where you’re buying your compact bathtub, why not buy them separately and make some savings?

Keep the tiling simple

There are a couple of ways to save money when tiling your bathroom. Firstly, do you really need to tile the whole room? You’ll definitely need to cover all the areas where water will be splashing, so you’ll need tiles around the sink, bath and shower. But bathroom paint is a lot cheaper than tiles so, if you can paint more and tile less, you could save money.

For example, you don’t need to cover the whole wall behind the sink and probably don’t need to tile around the toilet etc. So, if you can tile a smaller space, you’ll need to buy fewer tiles and therefore save money. Plus, it’ll be quicker to fit the tiles, therefore it’ll cost you less in labour if you’re hiring someone to do the tiling.

The second way to save money on tiles is to choose a basic white tile at the lowest prices you can find. Interesting coloured, textured or patterned tiles tend to cost much more than simple white tiles, so you can slash your budget by avoiding anything too quirky. Plus, white tiles can help to make your bathroom feel more spacious.

If you want to add a bit of personality to the bathroom, you can do it by adding a handful of interesting tiles – perhaps as a border, or to highlight a specific area – which will cost a lot less than using those tiles over the whole wall.

You could jazz up classic white tiles with coloured grouting, which is now available in a whole range of shades. Or, you could paint the un-tiled parts of the bathroom walls with vibrant or dark colours of your choice. See, white tiles aren’t quite so dull, after all!

One thing to NOT scrimp on is bathroom paint. Normal emulsion won’t last as well in a humid, damp environment and will need repainting more often than washable, mildew-proof bathroom paint. So pay a little extra to get the correct type of paint, as it’ll save you time and money in the long term.

I hope these ideas will help you to save money when you’re nest decorating your bathroom. Let me know your own hacks for saving money when renovating a bathroom in the comments below – I’d love to hear how you designed the room on a budget and cut costs.

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When I first moved into my home, the bathroom was a mess. It wasn’t just small and poorly laid-out, it was actually damaged and the toilet had been leaking into the floor for ages. The sink was overhanging the end of the bath and the plumbing was a tangle of pipework.

It was the first room that we needed to revamp. In fact, we didn’t move into the house until the bathroom was complete – after all, there’s never a good time to be without a bathroom when you’re living there! But it needed a big change to make it livable, including a whole new suite, shower and tiling.

If you’re remodelling your bathroom, there are plenty of ideas online for creating a traditional bathroom in a compact space. Our room is definitely on the small-side when compared to most other bathrooms but that didn’t stop us having big ideas on how to make it feel more roomy. Here are my tips to do just that:

1. Make a plan

The most important step in remodelling your bathroom to make it appear bigger is to draw out a plan. You don’t need any particular design skills to do this – you just need to know the dimensions of the room and you can use bathroom design software online to plan out the space.

This way, you can see whether you are able to fit in a bath, a shower, and where is best to position the toilet and basin. You can get the measurements of the suite you’re considering buying and enter these dimensions into the bathroom planner software to make sure it’ll fit BEFORE you order anything.

Looking at the ‘before’ photos of my bathroom, you wouldn’t think that it would be possible to fit the bath across the room – but drawing it out on a plan in advance confirmed it was doable and gave us the confidence to make that change.

This is certainly one of the reasons why the bathroom now looks bigger; positioning the bath across the back wall has visually changed the proportions of the room to make it feel wider. Plus, you get more floorspace in the centre of the room to move around in.

2. Over-bath shower

Often, the reason why bathrooms feel smaller is because too many things have been crammed into a compact space. So, if you can remove one item, the rest of the suite will have more room to ‘breathe’. This is why we decided not to have a separate shower and to fit a rainfall shower head over the bath instead.

This option is available in any bathroom as you can either fit an electric or boiler-fed shower over a bath. With the right enclosure (a glass screen or shower curtain) you’ll easily be able to contain your shower within the bath – which actually provides a larger space for showering than a compact cubicle.

The kind of shower you can use over a bath will depend on the type of boiler you have in your home. If you have an electric water heater rather than a gas boiler, it might be harder to regulate the temperature of the shower and you can run out of hot water while you’re showering. We have a gas boiler so we chose a Mira rainfall shower that is fed by consistent hot water directly from the boiler.

In doing so, we’ve actually lost a bit of space in the bathroom behind the bath, as all the plumbing is behind a false wall that we built to hold the shower unit. But this means that we don’t have a tangle of pipes on display, which often makes the room feel messier and therefore smaller.

3. Leave space on the floor

A tried-and-tested method in interior design to make your room feel bigger is to lift furniture off the floor. Choosing sofas, sideboards and storage on legs make the room look more spacious by allowing the eye to travel beneath the chunky furniture.

The same goes for making a bathroom feel larger. If you choose a tub bath on feet, a wall-mounted toilet or a vanity basin with space beneath it, you’ll be able to see all the way to the walls of the room, so you can see the full capacity of the space, which gives the impression of the bathroom being larger.

4. Choose reflective surface

The final way to make a small room feel bigger is to keep it bright and white to bounce the daylight around the room and make it feel airier. But, in bathrooms, you’ve got another option – to add reflective surfaces.

Choose glossy tiles, shiny porcelain, polished metals and mirrors to achieve the same airy feel. If you select shiny surfaces, it doesn’t really matter what colours they are, as they’ll still help to reflect the light around the room and give the impression of space.

I hope these tips have given you inspiration for your own bathroom remodelling project. Let me know how you’ve managed to revamp your bathroom to make it feel more spacious in the comments below – I’d love to hear your design tricks and interior hacks!

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It’s so important to take time out of our busy lives for a little me-time. And there’s nothing nicer than including some personal pampering in your self-care routine. It’s not only good for your skin, hair and body, it’s also great for your mind too. Relaxation, and that feeling of doing something just for you, is key to your mental wellbeing.

But what if you’re not keen to go to a salon and it would cause you more stress to do so?

There are many reasons why you might prefer to keep your beauty routine home-based, especially after recent events. Perhaps you like the privacy it offers? Maybe you’re simply not comfortable in being around lots of people in a bustling hair salon? Or is the amount of money you can save a factor?

Whatever the reason, it’s a frugal (and fun!) idea to stay home and enjoy a touch of pampering. Here’s a few ways you can still achieve that salon feeling:

Atmosphere

Firstly, whatever treatment you’re planning to enjoy at home, you’ve got to make your environment into a peaceful spa-like space. There’s no point putting on a face mask while sitting at your desk and answering emails. That’s simply not a relaxing vibe!

Take the time to tidy up, launder your fluffy white towels, put on your bath robe and light some scented soy candles. The more peaceful the atmosphere, the better – so play some music (relaxing jazz on YouTube is my personal favourite) and allocate a decent amount of time for your pampering session.

Professional spa services

Thanks to the changing world we live in, it’s now possible to bring the spa to your door. Remember mobile hairdressers? Well, now you can enjoy mobile spa services in the comfort of your own home. You can book every type of treatment that you’d find in a salon, from massages and spray tans to blow dries and professional make-up application with a mobile make-up artist (even Halloween looks!) by booking with at-home hair and beauty specialists such as USPAAH.

It saves you time and money too, as you don’t need to get in the car and fill up with fuel, travel to the location or pay for parking. Wellbeing-wise, you also don’t have to experience the stress of finding the spa or the anxiety of being late for your appointment. And there’s nothing worse than worrying about the session overrunning and possibly getting a parking ticket while you’re supposed to be relaxing.

Instead, you can simply sit back and chill out in the safety of your own space with no worries to disturb your peace.

At-home treatments

One of the reasons why I’ve been enjoying doing my own hair and beauty treatments this year is that I have control over the products I use. As someone with very sensitive skin, I like to know exactly what ingredients are in the cosmetics, skin care and hair products I’m using to be sure that I won’t react to an ingredient that I’m sensitive to. It’s hardly relaxing to be concerned about the purity of a product when you’re supposed to be chilling out in a salon.

Plus, I find that it’s much more cost-effective to buy the products to do your own treatments at home than it is to have the same treatment at a salon. Even the most luxe organic facial products are probably equal-to or cheaper than a spa facial, so it’s worth looking at the price list of your local salon and see how it compares to you buying the same product and doing it at home yourself.

Of course, there are many beauty treatments that you shouldn’t do at home yourself – like perming, tinting or more intensive procedures – as these should be done by professionals (who can come to your home). I’m talking about simple things that you’re happy to do, such as creating a pretty manicure, enjoying a body scrub, giving yourself a facial or using a nourishing hair mask.

Now, all that’s left to do is to pour yourself a cup of mint tea, turn your phone onto silent and start relaxing in your at-home spa! Let me know if you’ve been enjoying spa-like treatments at home and why? And I’d love to hear if you’ve used any mobile salon services yourself so please share your experiences in the comments below.

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I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing I like more than relaxing in a bubbly bath at the end of the week – especially when it’s as cold outside as it has been this week. But every time I settle down for a long soak, I find myself looking around for somewhere to put my cup of tea or my book. So far, I’ve precariously balanced cups on the edge of the bath (not quite wide enough) and just out of arms-reach on the sink, but I’m not happy with either option. So I decided to come up with a solution once and for all – a bath-side tea stand!

Actually, it’s even more useful than just being a place to park my cuppa (or wine glass!), it’s also got some useful shelving to store bath products and face cloths. Or you could use it as a plant stand to bring a bit of greenery into your bathroom to enjoy the air purification properties of plants. Whatever you decide to use the shelves for, they are a crucial part of the design – keeping this unit sturdy so that your mug of tea doesn’t wobble over, so be sure to get the shelves level & safely attached!

Home improvement experts ManoMano are sharing all kinds of DIY bathroom tips and projects on The Handy Mano blog this month so I thought I would create this step-by-step guide to help you turn some old broom handles and scaffold boards into some handy bathroom storage shelves.

When I was thinking about how to construct the shelves I peeked in the shed and found a rusty old rake with splits in the wood, a headless handle and broken broom with the plastic outer-layer peeling off. These round lengths of wood seemed ideal for feeding through planks, as long as I had the right size Forstner drill bit for the width of the batons. If you’re buying new wood for this project you can choose chunky pine dowels that are the right width for the hole-cutter drill bits you already have.

YOU WILL NEED

• Old wooden broom handles or dowels
• Scaffold board or wide pallet wood
• Hole saw, Forstner or wood drill bit the same size as the broom handles
• Drill
• Sander and sandpaper
• Wood glue
• Wood screws and screwdriver
• Wax and wire wool, or paint and a paint brush

STEP 1

Cut the scaffold board or wide pallet planks to the size that you would like your bath shelf to be. You could go for a rectangle or a square shape. I opted for 20 x 20cm as the old scaffold board I had in the garden was already 20cm wide. Cut three shelves – one for the top, one for the base and a central shelf.

STEP 2

Cut old broom handles down to the height you want the bath stand to be. Don’t go too high or the unit will topple over! I opted for 45cm high so that, once the top and bottom planks have been added, it would be around 50cm high, which is ideal for me to access my tea from the bath!

STEP 3

Sand down all the pieces of timber until the surface is completely smooth. I tried to round out the edges and corners of the scaffold boards to create a driftwood style finish for my bathroom.

STEP 4

Select a hole-cutter or Forster drill bit that’s the same diameter as the broom handles and use this to make holes in the corners of the scaffold board pieces. Be sure to measure an equal distance in from each corner to ensure the wooden dowel pieces will be straight when fed through the holes. For the top shelf, you only need to drill the holes half-way through the underside to create a ‘pocket’ for the broom handle to sit in. Likewise, the bottom shelf needs the holes to be drilled only half-way down on the upper surface. The central shelf needs the holes to go all the way through the timber.

STEP 5

Sand down any rough edges around the holes and feed the broom handles through the central shelf. The holes should be a very tight fit, so you may need to use a rubber mallet to gently encourage the wood to move down into the centre of the upright supports. At this point, you can add a small screw into the dowel at an angle on the underside of the shelf to give it more support.

STEP 6

Add wood glue into the holes at the top and bottom and position the dowels into the holes. Wipe away any excess glue and allow to dry thoroughly. Again, you can screw up through the base of the scaffold board into the dowels but make sure that the screw heads are counter-sunk into the wood and aren’t protruding at all, as this will scratch your floor.

STEP 7

Wax or paint the entire unit, or you could add a contrasting colour to the uprights – just make sure you mask off the shelves if you want to attempt this. I decided to use wax to keep the natural driftwood-style finish of the wood. Adding wax creates a water-resistant surface so you can also add clear wax or varnish over the top of the paint to protect it.

I’m so pleased with how this little bath-side unit has turned out. I really wanted to create something with a coastal vibe and as soon as I spotted those broken and split broom handles in the shed, I knew they would be ideal for upcycling in this project. And now I can finally have a relaxing cup of mint tea in the bath, yay! Let me know if you have a go at making a little bath storage unit for yourself and I’d love to see your photos so please tag me @Cassiefairy on Instagram when you’ve made your own

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Let’s face it: almost anything you to improve your home will probably increase the value of your property. Well, maybe painting a room in neon green isn’t going to add value (yes – that was exactly what my home office looked like before we decorated!) but most makeovers will add value.

When I say value, I don’t only mean the added value to future selling price of your property. I also mean in terms of enjoying your home, or how adding extra space can make a difference to the way you live in it. However, with house prices forecasted to fall by as much as 10%, anything you can do to add that value back on is handy.

Things like adding extensions and building loft conversions are obviously going to add extra monetary value to your home, as they create new rooms. But even wall DIY jobs like painting/wallpapering, new flooring/carpeting, and remodelling kitchens can make a difference too. If you want to work out how much a project will cost versus the monetary value it’ll add to your home, I have found that HomeHow can provide useful guidance when pricing up various home improvement jobs. Here are three things I’ve done that have added value in more ways than one…

REMODELLING THE BATHROOM

When we bought our house the bathroom was disgusting. Not only was the layout weird (with the sink partially hanging over the bath) the plumbing was in a bad state. The toilet waste pipe wasn’t even properly connected – eww. So I knew we needed to tackle this room before any others. In fact, we didn’t move into the house before the bathroom was ready. I mean, there’s never a good time to be living in a house without a toilet, is there?

So we bought a new bathroom suite for just £300 in the January sales and prepared to have it installed when we got the keys. Yes, that’s right – I bought the bathroom before we actually exchanged on the house. Risky business, right? But the savings were such that it made sense to order in the sales AND the delivery time was 6 weeks, so it didn’t seem such a risk at the time.

Anyway, it meant that our lovely freestanding bath and all the plumbing supplies were ready to go so it was the first room we tackled. A new false wall needed to be built to house the pipework for the new shower and the whole room was tiled. The suite was fitted, all the plumbing updated and finally we had a useable bathroom.

Not only did this definitely add value to the property, it added massive value to our lives. It meant we could finally move into the house and we’ve been enjoying having deep baths in that spacious tub ever since. I’d go so far as to say it’s one of my favourite rooms in the house now.

HOME OFFICE MAKEOVER

The makeover of our box room was the one that provided the most value to me. While it’s technically just a decorating project, it has probably added some monetary value to our home too, as it’s got lovely new flooring, a new radiator and new electrical points. And it’s LOADS nicer now that the neon green paint work has gone!

Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of work required to get it to this point; we had to scrape off layers and layers of woodchip wallpaper (removing it probably added value too!) and repaint/papered the whole room. But in order to make it perfect for me, we also fitted a wall-to-wall desk and added shelving into the alcove. Considering that research by ONS shows that nearly half of people are doing work from home, this remodelling project could be something that many people would find value in.

The box room was transformed into my home office over the course of about a week, and it has added SO much value to my own life. I can now work from home in comfort and it’s enabled me to run my own business – so its value is my whole income! Plus, I can enjoy using the space for craft, sewing, DIY projects – it’s the dream office space for me and I really appreciate having it.

A CALM BEDROOM

Although we haven’t physically extended the space in our house by converting the loft or adding a sunroom (that’s next on my list!), we have made the rooms we have so much more appealing. The bedroom was one of the first we tackled and simply removing the peach floral wallpaper and making it a blank canvas with fresh white paint made a huge difference.

The bedroom hold a lot of value to me becasue it’s the calmest space in the house. It’s entirely white with a peaceful seascape photo mural on the wall. It has almost no furniture and everything is stored away so there’s no clutter on show. With a recent survey by Barefoot showing that over half of us find joy in everyday ‘little wins’ like having a lie-in, fresh bedding or waking up in a sunny room, the bedroom is an important place for many of us. I find myself gravitating to the bedroom whenever I need to feel calm and relaxed. Having that kind of restful space is priceless to me.

Property-value-wise we’ve probably added a bit of value with the floor-to-ceiling fitted wardrobes from Jali that provide all our storage. The wardrobes were a DIY effort – even though they were designed specifically for the space, the company delivered the custom pieces flat-packed so that we could construct the wardrobes ourselves. This makes the wardrobes the perfect in-between option; not flat-packed and store-bought but also not as expensive as fitted wardrobes – but with the same fitted finish.

Plus the bedroom has new heating, new flooring and fitted blinds; all of which will add value to the property overall. Plus, it’s technically a blank canvas so future owners can easily put their stamp on the place if they wanted to. Not that we’re considering selling our home – I think this one is for keeps!

So, although we haven’t added value in the traditional sense of extending or adding anything, remodelling these three rooms has certainly improved the overall value of the property. AND they have added so much value to my life while I’m living in the house. I’ll say it again – these improvements are priceless to me.

What plans do you have to remodel or renovation your own home? In what ways will your DIY projects boost the value of the property to you? Let me know in the comments below

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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content

If you followed my blog a couple of years ago, you’ll know that I revamped my bathroom myself. When we got the keys for our home, it was the first renovation project we did because – let’s face it – there’s never a good time to be without a bathroom when you’re living in a home! So, we tackled the makeover before officially moving into our new house – you can have a look at the horrid ‘before’ pics here and you’ll see why I wanted to decorate this room first. It was a steep learning curve so I thought I’d share my experience with you and hopefully you can get the most out of your own bathroom without making mistakes or spending a small fortune…

THE BATHROOM SUITE

The first mistake I made was ordering the bathroom suite before we even had the keys to our home. The thing is, it was hugely discounted in the January sales and I knew that it was what I wanted for our home. So I went ahead and ordered it despite not knowing that we wouldn’t exchange until the end of the month. Luckily, the waiting time for the delivery took us into February, so it worked out okay, but it could have ended up being delivered into the garden of a home we didn’t yet officially own – oops!

The second money-sapping error was that I ordered a lovely freestanding tub. Although I love it (it’s huge – wide and deep yet fits across our narrow room perfectly) when we came to install a shower over the bath, we hit a snag. To ensure that the shower enclosure would fit around the shape of the bath, we could only use curtains rather than glass screens, otherwise the water would splash out of the back curve of the bath. And in order to fit curtains around the bath, we needed an oval curtain rail. And blimey they are expensive!

This curtain rail alone cost us more than half the price of the entire bathroom suite (including the sink, loo, taps and plumbing bits, yikes)! Then we had to buy two shower curtains to cover all the sides of the bath. Sure, this didn’t cost us too much because luckily I found a nice curtain design at Asda, but this could have added another £50+ onto the bill.

THE SHOWER

The shower was a bit of difficult one because we had too many options. There was already an electric shower fitted in the old bathroom (although I absolutely wouldn’t have trusted it!) so there was an electricity supply ready to go. But we also had a gas boiler that powered our hot water so we wanted to make the most of this option too. And finally, if we had enough water pressure, we could have gone for the cheapest option of fitting a mixer tap to the bath with a shower head attached.

In the end we opted for the shower fitting for the gas-powered hot water supply from Mira and it has worked really well. But it definitely wasn’t the most cost-effective option. Not only was the unit more expensive than most electric or mixer showers to begin with, it also needed extra plumbing and pipes etc to get the water supply in the right location. And then we had to build a false wall to hold it! So you can see that all the elements added up to a lot more money than it could have been to install a simple mixer shower – but I was too busy daydreaming about the lovely deluge rainfall shower head rather than adding up the additional costs.

THE WINDOW

Of course, I wanted to add some privacy to our bathroom window and thought that lovely waterproof shutters would be better than curtains or roman blinds in a bathroom. However, when I started shopping around I realised just how expensive shutters can be! Instead I decided that getting affordable blinds with wider 50mm slats were a low-cost way to get the same look for less. I could buy them in a water resistant white wood finish and I measured up the window frame to hang the blinds inside the aperture. Can you already guess the mistake I made?

By the time the blind arrived and we were ready to fit it, I had already tiled the walls, the windowsill and a small return inside the window frame at the sides. Even though this is exactly how the original tiles had been fitted, at the time of measuring the length and width of the blind, those tiles had already been removed and I measured to the wall. So now, my tiny tiled splashback was completely in the way of my blind! It stops the blind from unfurling all the way to the windowsill because it holds the base of the blind aloft, as you can see in the photo above – oops!

I hope you can learn from my mistakes if you’re remodelling your own bathroom this year. They might not have been the most costly errors but I still could have spent less if I had planned better or thought ahead. Let me know how you have saved money on your bathroom renovation in the comments below – and I’d love to hear any of your own DIY mishaps, if only to know that I’m not alone!

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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content