CRAFTY homeowners are utilising the wasted space under their stairs and creating some seriously dreamy rooms.
From playrooms to gaming dens and even enviable doggy pads, if you’re looking for some inspo check out these budget designs.
Playhouse
Karen Adamson, 37, from Midlothian, Scotland, made a girly den that resembled a miniature home for three-year-old Holly.
The best part of the project is that it was achieved for less than £100 using bargain products from B&M, Amazon and B&Q.
The outside of the playhouse was made to look like a little house, with a cut-out window and a front door with a knocker.
Inside was everything a young tot could need, from a sofa to a toy kitchen and a washing machine.
All the paint, wallpaper and window box were bought from B&M, and the couple didn’t have to splash the cash to get them.
Karen also purchased a working doorbell and brass hardware from Amazon, and she next hopes to add curtains and a letterbox.
She laid down a new floor, using some leftover vinyl flooring she had from when she updated her bathroom and gave the skirting boards a lick of paint, and rubbed down the walls before filling in any holes.
She added wall stickers from eBay in a gorgeous cherry blossom scene and picked up fake cherry blossom branches from Amazon for just £7.99.
Pooch Paradise
Pet owners would go to great lengths to ensure their fury friends have a safe and comfortable place to call home – and many are creating entire rooms for their pups to make it happen.
One woman transformed the “messy and awkward” space under the stairs using a bit of timber and cheap buys – and it’s equipped with a cosy bed and a box of toys, and even includes a custom hanging sign with the new pups name plastered on the front.
Another woman turned an empty white space into a den for her four-legged friend, adding in a dog bed, food bowls, as well as adding marble and tile-effect walls and floors.
She put up a shelf for his doggy treats, and even hung bunting with his name outside and a snap of her pooch in a bone-shaped frame – and all done for incredibly cheap.
Gaming Galore
Rachel Cooper wanted to treat her son for his upcoming birthday so she decided to utilise the wasted space to create the ultimate gaming sanctuary complete with a gaming console, a TV and a speciality gaming chair.
The unused space was in need of some love, that much was clear, but within just three hours, the crafty mum transformed the space with a lick of midnight blue paint and some plush carpet – creating a cosy gaming cocoon.
Speaking to Fabulous, the crafty mum Rachel revealed that she spent as little as £50 to create the Harry Potter-esque cupboard by using bargains from The Range and Poundland.
But it’s not just parents doing it for kids, but wives and girlfriends are doing it for their gaming-obsessed blokes too.
One woman cleared out her messy cupboard and moved her boyfriend’s gaming gear in to give him his own space to play – and it costs her nothing to do.
Meanwhile, a dad turned his cupboard into his personal ‘man cave’ complete with a giant TV and beanbags simply be rearranging what he already had at home.
Storage solution
A woman who was looking for a way to store her family photo albums revealed the stunning storage solution her dad built her under the stairs.
The Aussie mum came across the idea on Pinterest which not only acts as a chic shelving unit, but when pulled out reveals extra hidden storage.
Thrilled by how it turned out after just one week of work, the woman shared the end result on Facebook and people love the stunning use of space.
As much as she credited her dad for the work, she revealed it was simple enough to do and that most carpenters should be able to do it.
Meanwhile, Juliana Beckham, 30, and James Beckham, 31,were quoted £800 plus VAT for a professional to build in under-stair storage for them.
After receiving the eye-watering quote, the couple decided to do it themselves – and managed to achieve the project for just £80, resulting in a saving of £720.
They ordered the sliding runners from ebay for £20.99 for two lots, along with pop hinges, which cost £4.17 for two.
Then they went to B&Q and bought two sheets of MDF at £20 each. They already had the timber for the framework from a previous project, but revealed it’s fairly cheap to get hold of.
Elsewhere, a DIY-loving couple looking for extra storage space in their home decided to utilise the hidden room under their stairs, adding a nifty hinged cupboard right beneath their feet.
Sharing photos of the project to the Facebook group DIY on a Budget Official, Helen Barnshaw wrote: “So much hidden space under the stairs, that was otherwise wasted until my husband made some extra storage space.
“We were quoted £230 originally, but my husband did it for just under £60.”
For more DIY hacks, one woman shares her cheap IKEA hack which instantly makes your room look twice as big.
As we previously told you, one DIY fan who couldn’t afford new shelving transformed an old Ikea unit instead – and it cost her next to nothing.
And a savvy mum shows how she used Poundland and Wilko bargains to create The White Company dupes – and it’s so easy.
