Homeowners can find the savings made through DIY help to keep their renovation budgets down, reports the Guardian.
Columnist Zoe Deleuil writes for the publication of her sister Ashe’s desire for a professional finish without a high-class price tag.
Instead of calling in experts who charge by the hour, Ashe spent some time of her own looking through trade websites to find good-quality fixtures and fittings that she could install herself.
She tells Zoe: "If you know where to look, you can order direct from manufacturers rather than through a showroom."
Top of her list was a plan to extend her balcony in order to increase her living space – a project for which she did require a little DIY help.
A professional carpenter fitted timber joists to Ms Deleuil’s wall to support the balcony, ensuring safety, while she added the finishing touches in terms of decorating and design.
"Interiors geek" Will Taylor previously wrote for the Guardian of his own project, in which he used wallpaper to customise a tabletop that was originally a plain pine design.