Mum Of 3 Saves £1000 Creating DIY Media Wall On A Budget
- Carly, 36, wanted to build a media wall in her living room
- She was quoted £2500 for the project but decided to go DIY
- By shopping smartly she saved £300 on a new fireplace
- Overall she saved £1000 on the project by doing it herself
Media walls are becoming increasingly popular in homes across the UK, but projects like these can feel daunting to some and it might feel easier to just get the professionals in.
However, one savvy DIYer has proven that it’s possible to get the desired result yourself - even saving £1000 in the process.
Carly Elwick, 36 from Newport, South Wales who works as an Assistant Manager and has 3 children aged 19, 10 and 8, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I have quite a good sized living room, but it previously had no focal point.
‘The existing furniture we had had seen better days after seeing life with 2 toddlers. We had renovated the rest of the house so the living room was the last inside job to really put our stamp on the house.
‘I had seen people on Instagram do these chimney TV walls and I wanted something similar, but I also previously had 2 IKEA units in the room and I didn’t want to lose that storage.
‘The best option was built in cupboards, but I could not find any reference photos for over a year. The project was on hold until I saw an Instagram account illustrating exactly what I had in my head - it was perfect!
‘We were given a quote of £2500 to have the work done. I sensed we would be able to do it more cheaply ourselves, even if it might take us longer. So we decided to go DIY instead and the first step was gathering supplies.
‘Even during this stage I was able to make some massive savings. I primarily got the supplies from Howdens and a local handyman store. I got some bits elsewhere too, for example I got the Dimplex fire from Costco. It was so much cheaper than B&Q for the same one - about £300 cheaper actually!
‘The tiles came from B&Q and the bricks behind the fire are actually polystyrene panels with a brick like coating. They were so much cheaper than actual Brick Slips, but you really can’t tell they’re anything different unless you go really close. They were so easy to install too. All in all, the cost of the materials was around £900.
‘It was now time to start the project. First we had to build a timber frame and add some OBS board to where the TV would be mounted to ensure that it had a good base to secure to. We then plaster boarded that all up and had a friend come and plaster that all for us.
‘The cupboards were made using kitchen cabinets and doors from Howdens, with some MDF space fillers to give them the “built in” finish.
‘MDF tops were added to the cupboards, then 2 floating shelves were constructed out of MDF and added to supports mounted to the wall. We were only able to shelve the one side due to the window placement on the other wall.
‘Everything was then primed and painted. An oak beam was ordered online and that is mounted by screws so is removable in the future for painting.
‘There were plenty of challenges along the way. The main ones being I’m always right and my husband doesn’t listen! Time is also a huge issue as we both work full time so it did take us a lot longer than it would have if we’d hired a professional.
‘I don’t think there is anything we would change about this project, apart from having a real log burning fire put in rather than an electric one. We just didn’t have the budget for that unfortunately.
‘Altogether the cost of this project came to £1550 and that’s including all materials, having the electrics and the plastering done by professionals, and having 2 new doors fitted. We saved £1000!’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Carly's DIY media wall is a perfect example of how you can transform a room on a budget while still achieving a stunning result.
‘By taking matters into their own hands, Carly and her family not only saved a significant amount of money but also created a personalized focal point for their living room.’
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