Most people can only dream about spending £30,000 to renovate their kitchen but now one couple have proved it doesn't have to be so expensive.
Beverley-Anne Hodge, 47, and her 53-year-old husband Graham completely transformed their own kitchen at just a fraction of the price that they were originally quoted.
The couple, who live in Southampton and have two daughters between them, were quoted up to £30k to update their 90s-style kitchen from brands including Howdens, Wickes and B&Q.
However, realising that was out of their budget range, the pair decided to do it themselves, saving over £25,000 in the process.
Using flatpack materials from Ikea, Beverley-Anne and Graham instead spent £5,000 and the results are amazing.
Beverley-Anne told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "We were considering changing our 90s kitchen for some time and as always, work always seemed to get in the way.
"We began with some interim research, alternative designs and numerous quotations ranging from £12k to £30K.
“All the companies came out to measure up the kitchen. I explained what I wanted and where I wanted it. The boiler was the biggest concern as I wanted it enclosed," she added.
"We had eventually decided upon a suitable kitchen for our needs for us to tackle at some point in the near future.
"We decided to purchase our flat-pack kitchen from IKEA in the end, a huge saving compared to others and with a quality that is just as good."
She continued: "We placed our order and subsequently had to wait for some eight weeks for delivery. I had booked time out of my working schedule to begin work on the kitchen.
"Suddenly we found ourselves in lockdown and this gave us the perfect opportunity to get on with it in a relaxed manner.
“We planned for all the accessories required and it seemed during lockdown we had no trouble sourcing and obtaining what we needed online.
"As advised, the kitchen arrived in all its glory and all flat packed, weighing over 1,000 kilos. Of course, we had to accommodate so many packages, I wonder now how we actually did it.
"Our existing kitchen was very dated in terms of the sink, fittings, appliances… you name it, it all had to go.
"Thankfully my husband is an electro-mechanical engineer and one of his hobbies is DIY… win-win!
"There was a great deal of preparation to do, including upgrading plumbing, heavy load wiring, adding additional 230V outlets, moving outlets, plastering, painting, papering, trims and more," Beverley-Anne explained.
"The day finally came when just a blank canvas of a kitchen remained. So the build began.
"I must say that the quality of the IKEA cabinets and timbers are of an exceptionally robust quality and we were pleasantly surprised considering the price of just £4.9k, including all appliances and worktops."
The couple are now the proud owners of a sleek, white kitchen and said they feel "a great sense of pride and satisfaction" after doing it themselves.
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