Over time, I've tackled everything from furniture builds, home renovations and budget-friendly makeovers. I was born and raised in London and later in Kent. My previous jobs could not be more removed from DIY, I was an accountant in the City of London working over the years for three financial institutions. I emigrated to Spain in 2007 with my family and worked for a pet insurance company, helping
to achieve the status as Spain's leading pet healthcare provider. And then the pandemic and lockdown hit us. My new partner had a long held dream to run a bed and breakfast hotel from her home and so in 2020 I relocated back to the Nottingham area of the UK to live with her and make her dream a reality. It took 2 years to renovate her Victorian house. I started with small DIY projects and essential repairs and as my confidence and workmanship grew I progressed onto ever more challenging and adventurous make-overs, some with large budgets of £10,000 or more and others with a tiny budget of just £300 or less. In order to keep the costs down it meant that I had to learn how to do everything using some pretty dangerous power tools. I learned how to lay laminate floors, replace skirtings and architraves, painting and decorating skills, install coving and upcycle old furniture to fit with the new colour schemes. (Take a look at my DIY adventures on my website www.thediylady.co.uk). I loved it, I didn't want it to end. But in 2022 we opened The Old Postie B&B. It was nerve wracking at first but we had so much positive feedback from guests and some fabulous reviews online and thus began our journey to upgrade our facilities and amenities to obtain a boutique style standard B&B. We embarked on the biggest project to install 3 ensuite bathrooms to enhance the quality of our guests experience. I drew the plans for the finished effect, sourced ideas for the difficult space and made the mood board for each room. We employed builders to knock down walls and create new openings, employed plumbers to install the pipework and fixtures, electricians to re-wire the upstairs of the house and plasterers to finish the walls to a professional standard. I then re-laid the floors, installed all of the skirting and architraves, painted and decorated the rooms and installed all the fixtures required to dress the room. The job lasted 4 weeks and was incredibly hard work but I am so proud of it. I handed over the day to day running of the B&B to my partner in 2024 so that I could concentrate on my battle against cancer, which I successfully fought and won. Now that I am well again I have decided to start my own DIY business so that I can continue to do what I have grown to love, that being transforming our living spaces.
