WHEN they’re still little, getting your kids to share a room makes total sense.
But once they hit their turbulent teenage years, it can easily become a source of tension… take our word for it.
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Well if you’ve ever desperately scoured every nearby house on Rightmove in the hopes of separating your warring kids, then we have some good news.
That’s right, savvy parents have been sharing the easy ways they divided their kids’ bedrooms on a budget – and they don’t need to cost a fortune.
New Room Out of £3 Wickes Planks
After being furloughed during lockdown, Amy Harty, 35, from Essex, kept busy by home-schooling her four kids.
But in the evenings, she kickstarted her biggest DIY project ever – splitting one bedroom in half to create a space for her daughter.
With some help with YouTube tutorials and her granddad, Amy bought 18 £3.29 planks from Wickes to make up the wall and then covered it in £8.50 plasterboards from Jewson.
She explained: “I found the joist in the ceiling and screwed the first plank to that, then began building the frame from that.
“Then I cut the plasterboard to size using a Stanley knife and screwed each sheet to the wooden frame.
“Finally, I filled any joints and gaps with filler, sanded it all down and painted the walls. I scrubbed the floorboards to save on the cost of new flooring.”
In total, it took Amy six days to complete the project and she spent £140 in total for the wood, plasterboard and fresh paint.
B&Q Room Dividers
Earlier this year, mum Melissa Ramage was creating a pink unicorn themed bedroom for daughters when she discovered B&Q’s room dividers.
She explained: “Split my kids room in half using the B&Q wall dividers and I am over the moon with how they turned out!”
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The posts have racked up thousands of likes, as people praised the 1m tall dividers – which can be cut and adjusted to fit most room sizes and shapes.
One person commented: “I’ve got them and they look lovely. They are easy to put up and nice to paint too.”
Another added: “I have them I had to cut off the bottom bit to get it to fit. They are effective work well easy to install.”
Although the exact dividers are no longer available, B&Q has a similar new range called Alara – and prices start from just £4.
Secret Bunk Beds
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Mum Gemma Horsfield showed how she and her husband have made built-in bunk beds to stop her sons from squabbling.
Posting the Facebook group Family Lockdown Tips & Ideas, the mum wrote: “My two elder boys share a room so we wanted to give them their own space to curb the arguments!
“Let’s say it has definitely worked!!! Two very happy boys.”
She wrote how there is a secret room above son Harry’s bed, and a toy cupboard below Oliver’s.
The savvy couple created the frame in the corner of the room and even built stairs up to Oliver’s level.
Once they’d created the foundation, the pair plastered over their son’s “secret space” and painted it a dark green shade.
The post has racked up over 16,000 likes from impressed parents, who seemed keen to do it for their own kids who share a room.
One raved: “This is brilliant.”
Another said: “Great idea”.
DIY Divider
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Hannah Nicholls’ two daughters Evelyn, two, and Lacey-Mae, 11, had been sharing a room with bunk beds – but their nine year age gap was proving to be a “nightmare.”
Desperate for a solution the mum-of-three and her partner Ryan swapped rooms with their daughters to give them more space.
And then Hannah, from Penzance, set about “upcycling” the space.
She headed to Facebook marketplace, eBay and B&M Bargains to snap up home décor items on the cheap.
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She told LatestDeals.co.uk: “I’m in college training to be a hairdresser so money is tight, so this was all done on a very tight budget of about £60.”
She dismantled the bunk bed in order to create two single beds and then used a box shelf purchased for £10 on Facebook as a room divider.
She continued: “I came up with the idea as there’s only one window so the cubes still let light in, plus this gives them each their own bed and space.”
She gave the room a fresh new look with new bedding, also purchased on Facebook for £10, bed canopies sourced on eBay for £20 and a £10 chandelier from B&M.
Speaking of her daughter’s reaction to the room, Hannah said they were “made up.”
Bedder believe it
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What’s more, this savvy parent made giant double beds with dividers and secret TVs inside – and she said she has “two very happy girls now”.
The mum explained: “Two pre-teen girls that don’t get along and really needed their own room but can’t.
“Here is our solution to the problem. 2 now very happy girls with their own double bed each so plenty space to grow. Crate storage will be added above when they arrive.”
She shared photos of the new bedroom to the Facebook group DIY on a Budget UK, and people were very impressed with her efforts.
The new beds, which were built by MDF by the dad, allow each girl to have privacy and space as well as offer entertainment inside to keep them occupied.
For more amazing home transformations, these DIY fanatics praise £3.50 stick-on Ikea blinds which fit ANY windows & they’re so easy to install.
And this thrifty mum creates son’s dream galaxy-inspired bedroom on a budget – including cheap DIY clouds.
Plus this savvy woman reveals how to fix your battered sofa cushions in seconds & her hack is completely free.