Do you have an unloved room in your home that's crying out for a revamp? Or one that you've revamped recently? Share your tales and pics with B&Q to win a £150 gift card - NOW CLOSED

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

Hot on the heels of recruiting 20 MNers to revamp a room, B&Q want to hear from all MNers who've got a room revamp story, or a tale of woe about a room that's in desperate need of a makeover.

Everyone who shares their story and/or photos on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £150 B&Q gift card.

~ Do you have a room in your home that you've revamped recently? If so, please share your story and ideally post your before and after shots on this thread (instructions on how to upload photos below)

~ Do you have a room that's crying out for a spruce up? Please share details, and preferably a photo of your unloved room here, and tell us what you'd like to do with that room in an ideal world.

We're talking about anything from updating with new cushions and curtains to painting and wallpapering etc.

Please note that any stories or photos you share on this thread may appear on B&Q's pages on Mumsnet and potentially elsewhere.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

[THERhubarb]

This isn't a room but a garden. When we moved in the house had been empty for at least 2 years, before that it was lived in by a builder who had used the garden as a dumping ground for all his waste. The back garden was covered in brambles which were waist high and once they were cut back, the before picture is what we were left with. Under the surface rubble was more rubble and more rubble. We found screws, dog bones and toys, nails, bags of rubbish, patches of cement, etc.

We just kept going every single day, filling up wheelbarrows full of stones and rubble which dh took to the council tip every week. We then got half price turf from B&Q late that summer and we laid that down in both the back and the front, with an extra scattering of grass seed and fertiliser and we watered it every single day.

With the back, we knocked down the back wall and extended the garden by another 2 foot at the back and erected a high fence there instead with wood from B&Q (dh built the fence himself).

I must admit, we felt like we almost lived in B&Q at times! We were doing up the inside of the house too so everytime we went, I would scour the garden section looking for half price plants and pots. That's a Japanese acer we have in the pot out the front now which is surrounded with heather. A Virginia creeper will hopefully grow up the wall and disguise the horrible grey stone and along the front wall I have borders with various spring and summer flowering plants, some of which I've picked up from plant sales and garden centres.

At the back we now have a cherry tree and an apple tree. In the middle is our bird feeder and around that we arranged some logs which we hope plants will grow over and which also encourage insects and bugs for the birds to eat. I have lavender here and in the summer some Californian poppies.

Our hen house is at the back and at the far side is my veg patch which is still waiting for my veg plugs to be planted in.

It's still work in progress as gardens always are but it does look so much better than when we first moved in and even next door - who grew their bushes and trees that high to block the view from our house - are happy to trim it all back now and often say how pleased they are that we moved in and transformed what was once the eyesore of the estate!

So the pic with this post is of how the back garden looked once the brambles had gone.

[THERhubarb]

And this is the back garden taken this morning.

[THERhubarb]

This was the front when we moved in...

[THERhubarb]

And this is how it looks now (I have to say, I'm mainly responsible for the garden. dh did the fence at the back but I did the rest, including digging up all the stone and rubble!

[JakeBullet]

This is the side bed in the garden which I am rescuing. The house has been built for about 10 years and in that time has seen several tenants who have not done anything with the garden. As a result the side beds are sunken and full of rubbish/rubble. I managed to get the wooden frames from a tip and am trying to fill them as much as possible before adding compost. I also want to paint the shed a greeny Gray colour and add a hanging basket or two. I plan to grow veggies in the raised beds and also to have a bee garden/nest/home plus a bug hotel. My son who is autistic loves digging around for insects etc so this will be right up his street.

[THERhubarb]

That looks great Jake! We've a compost bin that we empty every winter which would be good for your veggie beds. It gets them ready for another summer of lovely vegs.

I forgot to say about our bird house too - we did that at a B&Q DIY class for kids. It was free, you just had to book your slot. All the material was given to us and the kids made it absolutely by themselves using drills, saws, hammers, etc. Normally I wouldn't let them near such tools but actually they listened to what the guy said and were so proud to have made these bird houses. They painted them when we got home and dd gave hers to her grandma. The one in the pic is the one ds made and this is the second year that we've got blue tits in there.

I know I sound like an advert for B&Q now but if those DIY classes for kids are still going then I really do recommend them. They are excellent!

[JakeBullet]

Wow! Might contact our local B&Q and see if they have any classes going as that sounds great.

[THERhubarb]

Here you go, Kids workshops they are completely free but you do have to book.

I'm going to see if mine can make something else this year.

[THERhubarb]

Ah, they are charging now. Well I did wonder how long that would last.

[JakeBullet]

Tbh I'd be happy to pay a small charge. DS loves being in the garden, just hoping for a drier summer than last year.

[THERhubarb]

They are asking for a fiver now. Still not too bad as they can make a selection of object from toy aeroplanes to toothbrush holders and it equips them with a new skill and confidence. My two loved the experience! I notice they do parties too which is an idea for my ds's 10th birthday.

Not sure about a dry summer, I'm hoping too but I think the weather forecasters are being gloomy. I think I might emigrate.

[Pinkyorkbunny]

My daughter's room...the my husband and I have done her proud!

[Pinkyorkbunny]

My husband and I had to rush to get this done...about 6 weeks after she was born. I love to watch her play in here.

[Pinkyorkbunny]

Final picture.

[Pinkyorkbunny]

Oh...the before picture. This is my hubby working hard (plasterer by trade).

[JakeBullet]

Fabulous transformation pink, looks absolutely lovely.

[LackaDAISYcal]

Have the 20 been notified then?

[Gigaflops]

Good question Lack - there are a ton of us wanting to know!!

[Pinkyorkbunny]

Thanks JakeBullet... it took all our savings! The rest of the house needs doing up though [insert huge sigh]

[Wowserz129]

I was notified! Excited :).

[smokinaces]

I've managed to forget to do any before pictures since I moved in!

But since getting this house, I frequent b&q almost daily. And my decorating skills have increased ten fold.

I tiled a bathroom. Put up a shower. Repainted and put up pictures and mirrors. It is a marked difference.

I have repainted the kitchen. Patched over holes, put film on the back door window to stop nosey neigbours but let in light. Only thing I cant do myself is lay the lino or hang the blind. Yet. Again, such a difference from a lick of paint.

The front garden has been tranformed from a jungle to a landscaped area. Borders of bark, repainted fence, new grass from seed (first thing other than cress I have ever grown!!!) I love coming home to it.

Next is the bedroom - new light fitting, new blinds. New wallcoverings needed and doors onto the alcove to transform it into a wardrobe. It's a work in progress.

The hall will be a massive job. The doors are wrecked, there are holes in the walls and the outline of an old door. This will be papered and whitewashed until its done, and a new carpet ordered.

And then the same for the kids room and the lounge.

The whole house was a project. Which as a single working mum has been hard. But rewarding :-)

[THERhubarb]

I agree smoking, little things can make a HUGE impact. The kids hated this house when they first looked round it. It was filthy, smelt of dog, was full of dead flies and wasps and looked very dark and dingy. Just ripping out the dark blue, stained and smelly carpets helped a lot. Then that new carpet smell - can anything beat new carpet smell?

The front room was painted cream, had a real fireplace put in, laminate flooring (couldn't afford real) and a few mirrors and suddenly the room looked lighter, brighter and a darn sight more cheerful.

I love getting decorating tips. I use mirrors all the time now along with lighting to make rooms look bigger.

No notification here so I don't think my kitchen/diner is going to revamped any time soon

[smokinaces]

Mirrors are amazing. I have bought a lovely one for the bedroom, all long and flattering. The ones in the bathroom are opposite each other and make the room seem bigger. The front room ones are huge and in the absense of any kind of feature like a fireplace they are brilliant. And can be so cheap!

And yy to lighting. I'm loving the softer glow of halogen bulbs at the moment.

[THERhubarb]

Oh and gloss for small rooms which reflect natural light instead of matt. And like you say, a feature which draws the eye away from the corners of the room and into the centre.

Storage is essential. I love browsing storage ideas.

Oh I wish I had been picked!

[firawla]

We have just done one of the boys bedrooms (which 2 of them share). It hadn't been done since we moved in and was looking horrible, still with all outdated wall paper and they had broke their beds too so looked awful. Now we just painted it couple of weeks ago and put new furniture and blind, it is looking so much nicer! Dont have a pic on me now, can take one later.
The other boy is still waiting to have his done!