- Tracey Davies, 47, from Worcester, UK, renovated her grandmother’s bedroom for just $367.22 (£297).
- Davies says the room was in disarray because her grandmother’s furniture hadn’t been moved in over 20 years.
- Davies previously lived in the house with her grandmother, and updated the space after her gran had to be moved to a nursing home as a result of her declining health.
- She saved money on the two-week renovation project by using colorful wallpaper instead of plaster on the walls, buying the carpet from eBay, and giving old furniture a fresh coat of paint.
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Home renovations can be expensive, leading many to put them off until their space is in dire need of repairs. But you can update on a budget, as Tracey Davies from Worcester, UK, demonstrated through her dramatic renovation of a bedroom in her house.
The bedroom previously belonged to Davies’ grandmother, who lived in the space since 1929, according to The Daily Mail. Davies, 47, updated the space after her grandmother had to be moved to a nursing home as a result of her declining health. The project took two weeks, and Davies completed all the work herself for just $367.22 (£297).
Take a look at how Davies accomplished the bedroom transformation.
Tracey Davies, 47, from Worcester, UK, renovated her grandmother’s bedroom, which was damaged because the furniture wasn’t moved for over 20 years. “Nan kept everything!” Davies told Insider of her grandmother.
Davies moved in with her grandmother 23 years ago, according to the Daily Mail. Davies, her grandmother, and her husband lived in the space together until a little over six months ago when her grandmother moved to a nursing home, as she required advanced care.
The Daily Mail also reported that Davies' daughter moved in with her and her husband at the same time, giving them even more reason to renovate the room.
Davies began the project by removing the furniture from the room. She found severely damaged walls and an outdated carpet underneath.
"I think it took around eight hours just to clear up rubbish, sort through drawers, and to empty the whole room," Davies told Insider.
She believes the overcrowding in the room is what ultimately damaged the walls. "Because there was so much stuff along the outside wall, the wallpaper went black. It couldn't breathe," Davies said.
Pulling up the carpet and stripping the walls were the main priorities of the renovation.
"You could not see any of the black because of all the stuff" Davies explained, speaking of the room before it was emptied.
After the room was cleared, Davies began the process of removing the aged carpet and damaged wallpaper. She saved money by buying a new carpet from eBay.
Davies said the wallpaper and carpet were the most expensive parts of the project.
"I spent a little more on good quality paper," Davies said of the walls, as she couldn't afford to replaster them but still wanted the renovation to last. She and her husband used mold and mildew cleaner on the walls before putting up the new paper, which cost $82.85 (£67).
The matching purple bedding cost $55.64 (£45), while the lampshade was just $6.18 (£5). Davies already had the nightstands and brought them into the new space.
Davies' decision to buy the carpet from eBay was the biggest money-saver of the project.
"Buying off eBay and fitting ourselves was definitely so much cheaper than from store," Davies said, speaking of the carpet. In total, it cost $99.05 (£80). She estimates that she saved over $117.63 (£95) on the carpet.
The ottoman at the foot of the bed was an additional $30.91 (£25).
Rather than buying a new wardrobe, Davies gave a piece she already had a coat of fresh black paint, which only cost $12.36 (£10).
Davies told Insider the wardrobe has given her and her husband more storage space, which they're thrilled about.
Davies was also sure to add small details, like these door mirrors, to make the room look more chic during the two-week renovation project.
She didn't have to spend a lot to add those touches. The mirror tiles were just $17.32 (£14) in total. Davies also invested $43.29 (£35) in blinds for the window.
Her biggest piece of advice to other people who want to renovate on a budget is to plan ahead, as you'll be able to find the best deals that way.
"It may have taken around two weeks to do the whole project, but I spent weeks planning what I wanted to do and shopped around," she told Insider. "I spent hours on the internet searching for the best deals and getting ideas."
Davies told Insider the biggest benefit of the renovation is the added space she and her husband have now.
"For the last 20 years, my husband has had to climb over me to get into bed," she explained. Davies also added the mirrors above the bed as a decor piece, which cost $4.93 (£3.99) each. In total, Davies was able to renovate the room for $367.22 (£297).
Davies told the Daily Mail she had shown her grandmother photos of the renovated space, and said that though her gran loved the renovation, she doesn't remember the original room anymore.
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