Family home transformed by 12-year-old daughter for just £50 after mum teaches her DIY

A mother has revealed how her 12-year-old daughter transformed their home in just seven days, costing only £50.

Bea, daughter of Susie Levache, developed her DIY skills, including using a power drill and handsaw, by redecorating the family utility room, stairs and office – she also designed a feature wall. 

Susie shared her talented daughter on Facebook saying she was a ‘natural’ and did a ‘blinding job’. 

She added that her son, Ted, who is 15 also helped with the redecorating. 

Writing about the home office transformation, Susie said: “I usually tackle all the DIY projects alone but my 12 year old daughter took an interest and actually I figured I had a lot of time on my hands to rectify anything she might damage.

“Turns out after telling her to just go for it – she’s a natural and did a blinding job-with direction she did this herself. She was VERY handy with a handsaw.

“We just used some thin MDF strips, paint and a roll of wallpaper to transform my office.”

She added: “I supervised and told her how to use the spirit level and how to measure and cut the MDF strips we had.

“She was really nervous to begin with as she was worried that she would mess up.

“The room was gloomy and hadn’t really been used properly for ages anyway so she had nothing to lose – then there was no stopping her!

“This gave her the confidence to just go for it and after the first two panels she then did the rest alone.”

Susie has been renovating the family’s ’70s house for the past 10 months, and has used the recent time at home to help the plans move along. 

Susie kicked off their days in lockdown with homeschool, before switching it up to DIY projects in the afternoon. 

She added that the only thing they bought in lockdown was the kitchen handles, as the family used everything they could that they already had, including paint in the loft. 

She said: “Then we used up some old tester pots I had to stencil and hand paint an accent wall in a funky animal print design.

“She had the patience of a saint for hand painting that job!”

Susie Levache/Facebook

Speaking on the kitchen makeover, Susie explained: “The room was full of orange pine. I taught Bea how to use the drill and change the drill bits and how to use the little work bench.

“She filled the existing drawer holes, drilled new holes and put in different drawer pulls. They look fantastic!

“The whole room was then transformed with chalk paint (Frenchic) so all of it including the handles came to about £45 – we loved the end result.”

She shared the achievement on Facebook and the post has racked up over 9,000 likes.

Susie Levache/Facebook

The post read: “We had a grim ‘dumping ground’ utility room to part renovate – I showed her how to use a power drill at the weekend (very confident).

“My daughter customised the fronts of the drawers (looked easy but was tricky) then we used leftover paint to repaint the cupboards.

“We also made little initial blackboard effect plaques from leftover mdf, paint and glue – then aged them for the laundry baskets.

“As before, if my 12 year old and I can do this – ANYONE can do this.”

She continued: “The table now has pride of place on our terrace. During lockdown, we have taken all the blankets out, sat by the fire and drank hot chocolate in the cosy haven.

“It’s definitely a makeover we are proud of. It was probably around £20 if somebody wanted to have a go at upcycling. 

“It’s comforting that all the blood, sweat and tears that went into the planning, faffing and upkeep of the terrace garden – that it is enjoyed by everyone.”

Susie Levache/Facebook

Susie also added that the DIY projects haven’t just transformed the house they have also helped Bea’s confidence.

She said: “I was always a creative child and my daughter thought she didn’t have any skills before lockdown, I hope this will give her confidence that it’s all there. She just needed to believe she could do it!

“Initially she was quite timid about using the power tools and things, but now she’s so proud of what she’s achieved.

“Pre-lockdown I would never have thought to include Bea in my work – this period has really shown me that children are far more capable than we may think.”

You can follow the families renovation on their Instagram here.