Savvy Homeowner Creates Vintage-Looking Fireplace For Under £95
- Lucy Simms, 26, wanted a fireplace, but the options online were too expensive
- Instead, she found a free fire surround on Facebook Marketplace
- She completed the look using stick-on tiles from Amazon and cheap plasterboard
Many of us find it hard to renovate our homes without spending a fortune.
But one savvy homeowner managed to get the fireplace of her dreams for a seriously wallet-friendly price.
Lucy Simms, 26, a personal assistant, wanted a fireplace for her new home.
She looked to buy electric ones new but they were either too small or too expensive, so instead she decided to make her own.
Using materials from Amazon, Facebook Marketplace and B&Q, Lucy managed to create a stunning, vintage-looking fireplace - and all for under £95.
Lucy told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I came up with the idea as I recently bought a house in November last year, and as much as I loved it unfortunately the past owners had knocked out the fireplace and chimney and I really wanted a vintage looking fireplace.
"I used Pinterest and Facebook groups for inspiration, and also searched Facebook Marketplace everyday to find a fire surround or electric fire I liked.
"I didn't for a long time and then randomly one day I found a white fire surround with a little flower detail on for free off Facebook marketplace.
“It was literally perfect - the perfect size and style that I wanted.
"With it only being a fire surround, it looked silly just placed by the wall by itself, so I decided to buy a cheap piece of plasterboard to pop in the gap, which I stuck on with some wood glue and screws.
"I then bought some vinyl stick-on tiles from Amazon and used them to cover up the plasterboard.
“I then stuck them on the floor also on top of my laminate flooring to create as much of a hearth I could.
"To finish it off I bought a fire stove from B&Q to add in the middle of it all.
"All together, it cost around £94. The fire stove was the most expensive at £58, the plasterboard was about £6 and the Amazon tiles I needed were £30.”
Lucy is delighted with the look of her new fireplace - and especially about how she managed to keep the costs down.
"I am so happy now it is finished,” Lucy adds. “It's literally better than what I had envisioned in my mind.
“I am also so proud of myself as it's the first DIY project I have done and it turned out great.
"Of course, there are a few mistakes that could have been better but we learn from them. For example, the plaster board may not have been the best material to use as it breaks really easily.
"My tips for others would be to definitely use others for inspiration such as Facebook groups and Pinterest.
"I am a big lover of home YouTube videos, so they probably did give me some inspiration from other projects I've watched, but I've never looked into anyone making their own fireplaces.
"I just went with the flow - I had an idea in my head and just went with it and thankfully it worked!
"Also, remember that second hand is always best - you can get many things for free or for a fraction of the original price and they are still good quality.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “A quick internet search for a new fireplace shows that they can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds to buy brand new.
“While it’s always tempting to splurge to save yourself time, Lucy’s amazing fireplace shows that being creative, searching for bargains online and using Pinterest for inspiration can save you a ton of money.
“Her fireplace looks seriously expensive - I’d never have guessed it cost her less than £95!"
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