More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
The coronavirus lockdown has certainly left most of us with a lot more time on our hands.
And across Kent people have been putting it to good use - creating some amazing DIY projects.
Here we look at some of the very best in the county. You can vote for your favourite in our poll below...
1. Pub garden
Justin Stokes from Canterbury was so fed-up after the closure of his local pub, The Penny Theatre, that he built his own at home.
The 40-year-old self-employed landscape gardener said: "I decided that if I can't go to the pub, I'll bring it to me.
"I thought I could put my shed to a much better use than for just keeping a lawn mower in it. So I knocked it down, extended my back fence out by 6ft and used the shed to build a bar."
It took Justin two days to put it all together, buying pint glasses, beer pumps and bar stools from local social media selling pages.
"It was then that The Three Ferrets was created in all its glory," he added. "I have two connected draft pumps, a selection of spirits and chilled wine, ready for the warm temperatures."
2. Driven round the bend?
Terri Armstrong from Ashford made a "road" in her back garden for her boys to play on their bikes and scooters - complete with parking spaces, a zebra crossing and traffic lights.
The 32-year-old said: "It’s something I’d been planning on doing since last year.
"However, as we are in lockdown, I thought it would be a great time for the kids to be able to use it, so painted it earlier than planned."
It took Terri a day and a half to lay out the road using masonry paint from their shed.
She added: "It’s great to keep them amused for a while in the garden and both my boys loved it when it was finished."
3. The Lockdown Bar
Peter Edwards from Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, built a bar in his back garden using old pallets and reclaimed wood.
The 36-year-old said: "I'm in lockdown as I have heavily pregnant wife so want to be careful and safe. The bar has taken me a couple of weeks.
"There's still loads to do but its kept me busy and has been great fun to do."
4. The gin cupboard
While some people have been putting up dedicated gin shelves, Jenny Gates has created an entire "micro gin and cocktail bar" in one of her cupboards.
The 44-year-old from Sittingbourne said: "It used to be my children's craft cupboard but now they are older they keep their art stuff in their bedrooms.
"So I decided instead of the gins all being hidden in the kitchen cupboards it would be nice for them all to be displayed."
The "mini bar" includes 12 flavours of gin, as well a beer mat and an open/closed sign.
"I can't wait to share it with family and friends when this is all over, if there's any left," Jenny added.
5. Squirrel picnic bench
Katrina Mercer from Tenterden was inspired by a picture she'd seen on social media to create a resting place for critters.
Her husband Steve, 40, built the picnic bench for squirrels from tulip wood and oak offcuts in about an hour.
The floating seat and table was finished of with a water-based wood polish.
6. Reading den
Although she had no carpentry skills, Michelle Senft decided to have a go at building a reading den for her five-year-old son Jack and three year-old daughter Summer.
The 32-year-old from Herne Bay said: "My children were challenged by school to make a den, and as they love cuddling up and reading together I thought this would be a good time to build this for them."
Michelle, a children's nanny, grabbed a jigsaw and drill and over two days constructed the hideaway out of pallets she had picked up before the lockdown began.
7. Paramedic's pallet picnic bench
Pallets are certainly proving a popular choice of material for DIY projects across Kent.
Lucy Whateley, 36, from Ruckinge, sent us a picture of a picnic bench her husband Tom had built.
She said: "He’s a paramedic and likes to have a project to concentrate on when he’s not at work! This was a great one for him to get stuck into, especially in the times we find ourselves in lately."
Tom, 37, had lent his power tools to his dad before lockdown - so, over two days, he had to use hand tools to put the bench together.
8. Assault course
With construction sites across the country closing due to lockdown, there are thousands of highly-skilled tradesman stuck at home.
Take Robert Perry, from Ashford, who works in carpentry and joinery.
The 34-year-old from Ashford said: "While on daddy day care I knocked up a little assault course."
His daughter Imogen, eight, and Connor, six, had wanted some monkey bars, so Robert got to work.
"I had some steel tubes kicking around and was thinking of the best and quickest way to support them," he said. "It then just evolved from there and we kept adding more features as we went really."
The assault course now also boasts a rope swing, monkey bars, a slide and a climbing rope.
"It took around a day to knock up," said Robert, whose wife Michell, 33, helped make the "creepy crawly artwork".
Now vote in our poll for the best lockdown DIY in Kent
And finally... five top tips for dodging a DIY disaster
Hythe builder Andy Scarlett has been busy during lockdown.
Adding to his homemade gin shelf, he's put together a pizza barbecue and started some vegetable patches.
With DIY stores re-opening across Kent, if you're feeling inspired to start a project of your own, here Andy sets out his five golden rules of DIY...
1. Always measure twice, cut once.
2. If you're ever fixing in to plasterboard, always use plugs shaped like a tornado. They screw themselves in, making a firmer hold.
3. Be mindful of electric cables. In most cases they run vertically. If in doubt, get a reader that detects pipes as well.
4. Always have the right tools for the job. There is nothing worse than making a mistake - like picking the wrong screwdriver, chewing up the head and not being able to take it out.
5. The most important tip - never rush anything. I always say, what can’t be done today can always be done the next.
