the_home_boys_

10/11/2025

THE DIY KITCHEN DIARIES - PART TWO 💪🏼

This time we’re tackling the island we built ourselves for under £300 (exc. the worktop and appliances) - and it’s become the heart of the kitchen ❤️

It started (as all great designs do) with a Post-it note sketch, then a mix of flatpack units, timber framing, MDF beadboard panels, and a few long weekends later… it’s finally come to life 🤩

We colour-matched it in Dulux Heritage Brushed Gold, mixed in a Valspar durable furniture paint, and topped it with Minerox Quartz in Calacatta Gold Superior. It’s the perfect mix of DIY grit and dream kitchen energy - proof that you don’t need a big budget to create a big impact! 🙌

Swipe through to see:
📐 The Post-it that started it all
🪚 How we built the frame + panelling
🎨 The paint & finishing details
✨ The final transformation

Would you dare to build your own kitchen island?

27/10/2025

THE DIY KITCHEN DIARIES – PART ONE 🛠️

From an empty, echoey shell to a plastered room with handmade terracotta tiles under our feet . . . this is where our dream kitchen really began 😍

We spent weekends covered in dust, laid every single floor tile by hand (and knees!), and built the B&Q flatpack cabinets ourselves – then customised them into an in-frame style kitchen to get that bespoke look for a fraction of the price 👌

It’s taken us over 12 months and countless cups of coffee to get to this point, but we’ve saved thousands of pounds doing it all ourselves 🥳

Next up in Part Two . . . we’ll show you how we hand-built the kitchen island for under £300 👀

💬 Follow along to see the next chapter
❤️ Like, save or share to support our DIY madness
📍 Tag someone who’s planning their own kitchen Reno

07/10/2025

OK, so we’re coining a term . . . MONTAGE™.

It’s our not-so-official name for the mix of modern and vintage that runs through every room in our home - from car boot ceramics to clean-lined lighting ✨

It’s not a real design movement (yet), but this mash-up of old and new has become our go-to formula for spaces that feel warm, lived-in and just a bit unexpected 🥰

Our latest article has just gone live, and it’s all about the thrill and regret of second-hand shopping - the wins we still rave about, and the mistakes we definitely wouldn’t repeat (hello, vanity cabinet that wouldn’t fit upstairs 😬).

Swipe through for a few of our vintage highs, our biggest lessons, and some tips we wish we’d known from day one:
🛍 Don’t rush it: panic buys = might mean instant regret
📏 Always (and we mean always) check the measurements
🪑 Buy what you love, not just what’s cheap
😷 If it smells musty . . . it probably always will

Tap the link in bio to read the full article - and tell us your best (or worst!) vintage find in the comments 👇

📍 Save this if you’ve got a charity shop spree, car boot or vintage fair coming up
🔁 Share with your thrifting partner-in-crime
🤘 Long live the Montagers out there

21/09/2025

PART FOUR OF OUR DIY BATHROOM UPDATE 🛁✨

This weekend was a BIG one! We finished waxing the terracotta floor tiles with antique beeswax – the colour is even richer now and so worth the extra effort 🤤

The shower’s prepped for silicone sealant around every edge, and we still need to seal the woodwork on the pony wall 🫣

In true “needs must” fashion we also hoisted the bath up a ladder and in through a bedroom window 😅 – definitely not one for the health & safety handbook! The £20 vintage drawer unit (total FB Marketplace steal) came in the same way. We’ll be converting it into a vanity soon, so watch this space 🤩

And we’ve made a start on beadboard panelling along the lower half of the walls – ready to finish and paint next weekend 🙌

It’s finally coming together – tap ❤️ if you’re loving the progress so far, save this post for your own bathroom reno inspiration, and follow along to see the vanity transformation next!

✨ In case you missed it: you can catch Parts 1–3 on our grid for the full DIY journey so far ✨

18/09/2025

😳 Can’t quite believe we’re actually saying this, but . . .

Our very first article is live as part of their brand-new Open House series – a space that celebrates what home really looks like, not just the glossy “after” shots 🤯

For our first column we’re kicking things off with “Never Not Messy,” our honest take on the not-so-pretty side of renovating: the dust that defies even the best hoover, the spaces that stay unfinished for months (years!), and the joy of slowly shaping a home your way 🥰

This is just the start – we’ll be sharing more pieces over the coming months on everything from thrifting vintage finds and clever DIYs to creating characterful spaces without blowing the budget 🙌

We’d also love to know what you’d like us to dive into. Any burning renovation questions? Topics you’d love a behind-the-scenes take on? Drop them in the comments or DMs - we’d love to hear your ideas! 💛

Your support - every like, comment and “you’ve got this!” - has made opportunities like this possible and we couldn’t be more grateful 🥂

The link’s in our bio if you fancy a light read with your next cuppa. Here’s to the mess and the magic that comes with making a house a home! ✨

14/09/2025

By popular demand (your DMs after last week’s post were wild 🤩) here’s our step-by-step tiling how-to so you can save it for your next DIY 🙌

Here’s what we did:
🧼 Prepped & waterproofed the walls
✏️ Marked out our tile spacing and set up the laser level
⬆️ Started tiling from the bottom up with spacers for those perfect grout lines
✂️ Snipped and shaped the tricky bits round the shower fittings
🧽 Grouted and gave everything a crisp clean finish

Handy kit list:
Laser level • Tile spacers • Electric tile cutter • Tile snippers • Notched trowel • Bucket & sponge • Grout float

If you need any recommendations on the products we used, let us know!

And because we can’t resist . . . a cheeky “ciao” from sunny Sardinia - we’re sneaking off to toast our wedding anniversary this evening without a thought for diving back into DIY life next week🥂🇮🇹

31/08/2025

🚿 BATHROOM BUILD: PART 2 🚿

Big week in the bathroom! We’ve:
✨ Laid the terracotta tile floor
✨ Sealed it with two coats of linseed oil
✨ Got it grouted and ready for varnish this week
✨ Waterproofed the shower with the Mapei kit (only hiccup… the masking tape took some of the paint with it 🤦🏼‍♂️)

Next on the list: tiling the shower and (fingers crossed 🤞) starting on the wall panelling, if the delivery gods are kind to us!

Loving sharing the full process with you all - even the messy bits! Stick with us, it’s slowly but surely starting to feel like a bathroom 🤩

24/08/2025

03/08/2025

Throwback to one of our most-loved DIYs . . . and still one of our proudest 🛠️

While we’re deep in the dust and decisions of building our new kitchen in the extension (you might’ve spotted a few sneak peeks in stories recently), we thought we’d take a moment to look back at the tiny but mighty kitchen we upcycled over two and a half years ago - for a few hundred pounds, some second-hand finds, and a whole lot of elbow grease 😅

We upcycled the old units, added character with a mix of new and preloved bits, and made it work hard for the small space it sat in. And the best bit? Some of the pieces we loved most are hopefully coming into the new kitchen - the fridge/freezer cupboard, sink, taps and open shelves are all getting a second life ♻️

We’ve had so many of you ask for this, so swipe through for the full step-by-step and let us know your favourite part👇

27/07/2025

We’ve had so many questions about how we created our custom window-style shower screen - so here’s the full DIY journey 👇

Inspired by a DeVol design, we built this bespoke enclosure from scratch using timber framing, beadboard panelling and a ton of trial and error. From working out how to integrate the sink and shower tray, to tiling and protecting the woodwork - it’s been one of the most rewarding projects we’ve taken on. 😅

It brings structure, character, and a hint of vintage charm to this small space—and we’re honestly so pleased with how it turned out 🛠️✨

Would you give something like this a go?