Listed here are 5 top rated Do it yourself strategies to change your property into a dream home

Meet the person who has helped double the worth of his dwelling in just four several years – just after seeing YouTube Diy video clips.

NHS worker Alex Dodman, 36, has designed himself a aspiration property that contains a gym in the back garden, a relatives-sized cinema place, and a trendy fold-down bed for his household business.

And he is accomplished it all by discovering on the go, viewing YouTube video clips and studying building boards.

Alex bought the Saffron Walden residence he shares with his husband or wife and two young youngsters in 2018 for £250,000 but has considering the fact that been explained to his enhancements have aided it soar in benefit to £525,000.

He initially got into Diy when he acquired his first property in 2014, fitting a kitchen area and laying a patio.

But soon after paying for his present-day home, his Do-it-yourself instincts went into overdrive after observing a tradesman put up a stud wall – and he realised he could be carrying out it himself.

He reported: “We had the house valued in 2020 and were advised it was now truly worth £525,000, which I put down to the function I’ve finished.

“It went from a run-down two-bed to a four-bed room residence with a pleasant large backyard garden.

“I estimate I have saved about £75,000 in the past couple of many years merely by not contacting in tradesmen and trying factors myself.”

His most the latest task was turning a very little-applied spare bedroom into a smooth and modern-day workplace – that could nevertheless be termed into bed room company if necessary.

Immediately after owning a brainwave to set up a house-conserving folding down bed, Alex was dismayed to locate a expert carpenter would charge countless numbers – and would suggest a sizeable hold out.

So, he rolled up his sleeves and bought to perform himself. He said: “Since I have been doing the job from dwelling I have wanted a dwelling workplace, and I was considering about performing it for ages right before I identified out how significantly it would cost to have a person in.

“In the end, just utilizing pine boards from B&Q, the mattress itself expense me about £250 – and then a further £160 on the mattress.

But his favourite build is what he calls the ‘Superbed’ – two king-sized beds related in the master bed room, with a large projector screen on the wall.

Alex reckons this is perfect for relatives movie evenings, and also when his young children – aged 5 and two – fall off to snooze with mum and dad, they do not devote all evening kicking every other under the sheets.

His exploits have even acquired him a pursuing on Instagram – wherever 122,000 folks and counting can verify out his dwelling-builds in depth.

In the yard, Alex’s dwelling fitness center stands at 6m by 6m, has enough equipment for a total exercise routine and, at a person stage, even experienced its personal sauna.

He explained: “I’ve received rid of the sauna now and approach on building an outside a single following to the swimming pool – which is my current job.

“I viewed a YouTube video of a lady in Holland who developed her individual pool in her garden, and as quickly as I’d watched that I rang up and hired a digger.

“I’d hardly ever driven a digger just before, so I’d dug this huge gap and then there was no going back again.

“In normal, the most difficult thing to understand from a Do-it-yourself viewpoint was plumbing – which is really aggravating. If you do it improper, you get drips and stuff.

“But it’s not as tricky as I thought it was likely to be – it truly is sort of like water LEGO.

“I wasn’t self-confident in Do it yourself, but the greatest way to find out is just by supplying it a go. I have built problems and things does not always turn out how you believe but giving it a go is the ideal way.

“I discovered pretty much almost everything from YouTube, and there are a large amount of builders’ message boards online in which you can locate assist on masses of assignments – any challenge you arrive across, it’s most likely somebody else has in the previous and has penned about it on the net.”

Susie Spence, Interiors Director at B&Q explained right after looking at Alex’s dwelling transformations: “We adore observing the effects of consumers dwelling advancement projects little or major and Alex’s is these kinds of a exceptional transformation, which is why we arrived at out to get the job done with him on our Changemaker campaign.

“Making very little adjustments to increase your living area can make a large variation and we inspire all people to get caught into their households and see what they can do to make their homes and life far better.”

The first step is usually the hardest, just have a go at everything which may possibly seem to be scary – it’s virtually normally simpler than you feel.

When it will come to matters like electrics or plumbing, that want signing off and certificating, you really should constantly go away it to experts.

I have learned this lesson myself a couple periods! The further time used making sure all the things is measured just proper will help save you a large amount of frustration – while I never always are living by this myself even now.

A mitre saw, a respectable electrical power drill with fantastic drill bits, and a box of various sized screws and rawlplugs will get you by most of your starter Do-it-yourself assignments. I received my mitre saw from B&Q for about £60 and I use it almost each and every day.

It is uncomplicated to get bored of a venture and start off anything new – my information is to just take a single thing at a time, and do it effectively. It’s a thing I never constantly stay by possibly – my swimming pool is a perfect illustration!