I'm a DIY whizz & totally transformed my living and dining room using bargain buys from Dunelm, Ikea and Primark | The Sun

A DIY whizz totally revamped her drab living and dining room and the results look so posh.

Elle Hutchinson, from Cardiff, tackled the renovation with her partner, Alex, and she didn't break the bank to do it.

In the past, the pair have worked on transforming their home by installing wall panelling, laying laminate flooring and refreshing their staircase.

Although transforming the living and dining room came with it's fair share of challenges, like discovering the dining room floor was completely rotten, Elle said she still enjoyed the project.

She told Factory Direct Flooring: "This was something that was completely new to us and we had never done before!

"We took our time along with a lot of patience and we were really happy with the end result."

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Because they did the project themselves, Elle estimates they've saved roughly £1,000 on the flooring alone.

"I looked at many YouTube tutorials and followed them step by step. YouTube really is your best friend!

"My dad is also really handy so we've learnt a lot from him," she added.

The finishing touches are what made the rooms really come to life though, and Elle secured some bargain buys.

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The DIY whizz bagged her dining table and chairs from Facebook Marketplace for £60, as well as the stunning fireplace surround for just £15.

But that wasn't the only second hand buy she got her hands on – Elle also bought a ceiling rose from eBay for £14 and painted it to match her ceiling.

In the dining room Elle added trendy placemats from Dunelm to tie everything together, and some candle sticks from Amazon and a posh vase from Primark elevated the fireplace.

But even with her impressive DIY skills, Elle roped in the professionals for some jobs

She admitted she'd wouldn't try plastering, but would eventually like to try her hand at laying tiles.

"I think a DIY example of our strengths would be our bathroom that we’ve just finished renovating.

"I didn’t have any involvement of ripping out and replacing the bathroom.

"Alex ripped out the shower, took down the old ceiling, helped rebuild the new ceiling, tiling etc.

"And when it came to the designing of the bathroom, painting, wallpapering and spraying our shower enclosure gold, they were my jobs."

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