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£10 DIY Stair Cupboard UK

By Sophie Jones

**EXCLUSIVE**

THIS COUPLE have built their own little secret cupboard in their stairs for just £10.

Daniel (38) and Susannah Sheehan (37) bought their house in Corby, Northamptonshire, for £169,000 in December 2021.

Since then, Susannah has been documenting her husband’s amazing projects on her Instagram page @renolife_bossywife.

One of Daniel’s most impressive recent feats was turning their staircase into a secret cupboard with a hinge for just £10.40.

As shown in the video, he cut out the two bottom steps and neatly fitted a pair of hinges.

The stairs can then be smoothly lifted up to provide hidden storage – perfect if you don’t already have an under-stair cupboard or need easier access.

“I got the idea on this from Pinterest, the total cost was £10.42,” said Susannah.

“We cut out the bottom two stairs and added a hinge so we could lift the stairs and get access to a cupboard.

“We had wood, screws, hinges and only needed to purchase the struts so another cheap idea came to life.”

Daniel has completed so many projects in the home that Susannah has nicknamed him “The Dandyman”.

The pair believed their home to be in reasonable condition when they bought it but soon found a host of problems including crumbling walls, rotten floorboards, mould, broken appliances, and leaking pipes.

Fortunately, Daniel was able to flex his DIY skills and Susannah has been documenting his amazing projects on social media.

“It was all systems go with friends and family rallying around to help us move,” said Susannah.

“That's when the flaws began to show; the first thing we noticed was the loft hatch was about the size of an A4 sheet of paper so one of the first major jobs that took place was fitting a new loft hatch with stairs.

“Then the problems started: the hole in the bathroom floor, the shower sitting on rotten wood ready to collapse through the ceiling at any given moment, the wallpaper holding up the actual walls, the leaks, broken taps and mould, the broken oven and extractor.

“But almost 18 months later, we have three full rooms complete and are well on our way to another two before Christmas.

“We have had to take every room back to brick, rewire, move radiators fit a whole new four piece bathroom suite, plaster, paint, tile and lay flooring mostly ourselves but with a few friends who are qualified in electrics, plumbing and gas lending a hand here and there.

“I'm so lucky my husband Daniel, who I have nicknamed The Dandyman, isn't scared to try and have a go at most things, sometimes with a little persuasion.

“I draw what I have envisioned and he brings it to life there are plenty that won’t work and doubts from him but he hasn't let me down yet and everything I pictured has become a reality, from the media wall with a built in office a fully fitted bathroom, a wardrobe built above the stairs to our latest project a storage cupboard with lift up stairs.

“All on a buckfast budget. We reused and recycled what we could to save money.

“I continuously shop around for the best prices, always hunting out a bargain, but our main way of saving money is just to have a go ourselves.

“We don't have thousands of pounds saved to do a full remodel so it’s doing the odd job here and there once we have some money saved.”

ENDS