When Jodie Foulger, 34, and her partner Andy, 32, were quoted £12,000 for their own home gym in the back garden, they decided to just go ahead and build their own.
They ended up saving thousands, doing a major DIY job to craft their own gym for just £900.
After looking up pre-made designs that cost upwards of £10,000, Jodie and Andy got to work on purchasing wood and screws from their local woodyard, Maplin, then drew out a plan.
Jodie told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘We decided to build the gym because my partner Andy is a huge gym fanatic.
‘When lockdown hit and the gyms were closed he was not pleased. So I said “let’s build one!”
‘We also wanted to use the gym for our pre-wedding build-up. We were meant to be getting married in Greece on the 2nd July 2020 but unfortunately, our wedding is postponed until next year now due to Covid-19.
‘We initially looked online at pre-built ones and they were ridiculous prices ranging from £5k up to £10k for the same sort of height and size.
‘We designed the gym around the height of the gym equipment that Andy had purchased.
‘There wasn’t really a huge drawn-out plan. We discussed it and came up with a shape and style. We measured as we worked.
‘It took us approximately two to three weeks in total to complete as my partner works shifts. So we’d fit it in around both our jobs, me working from home and home-schooling our six-year-old daughter.’
Doing it all themselves took time and hard work, but it paid off – the total cost was around £900.
‘We purchased all of the wood and screws from our local wood yard called Maplin. The UPVC windows and doors were only £80 from our local scrapyard,’ said Jodie, who shares her interior creations on Instagram at @the.white.house.sparkles.
‘They were originally brown and white but I painted them grey with Rustoleum universal slate grey paint.
‘The external paint used was Cuprinol Dusky Gem and was from B&Q. The gym mats were £10 a pack from B&Q also. The huge mirrors were from IKEA for £100.
‘I then added all of the added finishing touches outside too.
‘The 4×2 wood cost around £300, the shiplap wood cost about £350 and the paint cost £60.
‘The roof felt was £60 and the facias were free from a roofer friend.
‘We already had the gym equipment – it was just in the garden with a rubbish tarpaulin over it. It certainly needed a home!’
The couple are pretty pleased with the end result of their hard work.
Plus, the DIY project was a great way to spend the hours in lockdown.
Jodie said: ‘Building this in lockdown gave us a welcome distraction from all that was going on outside our home, especially for Andy being a very busy key worker.
‘It was also a great distraction from the worry of our beautiful Greek wedding having to be postponed.
‘Our daughter Ariana also helped me paint – she’s actually really good! Teach them young, I say – I’m certain it counted towards her homeschooling.
‘I absolutely love home interior and garden design – my Instagram account is my hobby really.
‘After receiving extortionate quotes, we thought “why not do it ourselves – what have we got to lose!?”
‘To be able to do it for only £900 was crazy. The end result was beautiful and it was a great learning curve for us both!’
Have you completed a DIY project that you fancy showing off?
Get in touch to tell us all about it by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/27/couple-quoted-12000-home-gym-build-just-900-12910153/
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