Dad doubles the value of his house with DIY efforts and saves £75,000 in tradesmen fees

A homeowner has told of how he has managed to double the value of his property with his remarkable DIY efforts - saving himself £75,000 on tradesmen fees.

NHS-worker Alex Dodman says he has built himself a dream home by watching how-to videos on YouTube.

The 36-year-old secured a secret, trendy fold-down bed for his office, has created a family-sized cinema space, and his back garden even comes with its own gym.

Alex bought the home in Saffron Walden, Essex, which he shares with his partner and two young children, in 2018 for £250,000.

But he has since been told his improvements have helped it more than double in value, to £525,000.

Alex first got into DIY when he bought his first home in 2014, fitting a kitchen and laying a patio.

But after purchasing his current house, his DIY instincts went into overdrive after watching a tradesman put up a stud wall – and realising he could be doing it himself.

He said: “We had the house valued in 2020 and were told it was now worth £525,000, which I put down to the work I’ve done.

“It went from a run-down two-bed, to a four-bedroom house with a nice big garden.

“I estimate I’ve saved about £75,000 in the last few years, simply by not calling in tradesmen and attempting things myself.”

His most recent project was turning a little-used spare bedroom into a sleek and modern office – that could still be called into bedroom service if needed.

After having a brainwave to install a space-saving folding down bed, Alex was dismayed to find a professional carpenter would charge thousands – and he would face a substantial wait.

So, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work himself.

He said: “Since I’ve been working from home I’ve wanted a home office, and I was thinking about doing it for