Posts in Renovating
8 Tips for Completing DIY Around Young Children

People often ask us how on earth we do it all whilst looking after the children and to be honest with you, there is no magic answer.  There is no wand that turns a dingy and dated hallway into a new fresh, practical and modern entrance unless you're willing to put in the hard work (or hard-earned cash).  Whilst we don't have much of the latter, we have attempted (and completed) many DIY jobs around the house so here's a few tips that we've learnt along the way...

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How we Exposed a Brick Wall, so YOU can too!

Two of the things that get the most comments over on my Instagram @theottohouse are our bathroom tiles and this exposed brick wall.  It really was so very simple to do and at next-to-nothing cost, is a great way to add character to a room on a low budget, but despite that we still felt pretty intimidated by the job and almost didn't go for it.  Do you have similar apprehensions? Read on to see how we did it and how we feel about living with exposed brick, one year on.

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A Family Bathroom Transformation that is Practical, Stylish and Budget Friendly

When we picked up the keys for our first home 'The Otto House', we had three weeks to get it ready for our little family. At the time Darcey had just turned one, and although a walk in shower with large white plastic handrails and a fold down seat may be welcoming for a weary mama after a long sleepness night, it certainly didn't please me aesthetically or suit our needs as a family bathroom.  Thankfully a builder friend of ours was on hand to help us with the tiling and plumbing so we could crack on and get it finished in the couple of weeks before move in day.We started by ripping out the shower and the awful faux marble plastic surround that had been literally glued onto the tiles beneath it.  Having spent ages trying to take the tiles off the wall around the fireplace downstairs, the thought of more tiles that needed removing (especially ones not factored into our tight time frame) was as unwelcome as a James Blunt song on the radio.  I needn't have worried however as the tiles only required a few forceful taps, a bit of leverage with the chisel and they all fell down, bringing the wall with it!

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