You know how a fresh coat of paint can transform a room beautifully, only to reveal other imperfections you hadn’t noticed before? That’s exactly what happened when Tracey Adams revamped the entrance passage to her home.
Two years ago, for Christmas, Tracey created a board and batten effect to showcase the holiday decorations. However, every time she passed by, all she could see was the unsightly electrical sub meter, which was a major eyesore against the new backdrop. It became clear that she needed to find a way to conceal or camouflage this monstrosity to improve the overall look of the space.
We asked Tracey, a professional photographer, self-taught videographer, DIY enthusiast, and dog lover to share with us how she upgraded her electrical sub meter to fit into her revamped entrance passage.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Instructions:
Steps 1 and 2
"I first took the measurements for the cupboard frame and sourced some pine offcuts from my brother, Gavin Adams who also dabbles in DIY work around his home. Once I had the cupboard’s frame size, I cut the pine for the frame and mounted it to the sides of the sub meter, which was made of wood," Tracey explains.
The offcuts for the wooden frame of the cupboard was free of charge, however, the door size was quite large and for this she approached a carpenters and woodworkers store, who cut the door from a build that they were busy with and charged her a small fee of R100.
"I then painted the cupboard frame and the door. Thereafter I installed the door using hinges I bought for under R100. I installed the door handle (an old handle I had in the tool shed) and minor finishing touches. The paint that I used is a water based, silky sheen, interior/exterior paint. I always keep a 5litre on hand because it is very versatile. It’s costs me R800 but I can use this for many projects so the cost per project is minimal," she says.
Step 3
Tracey says the hardest part was mounting the door. "It was tricky to line up the top and bottom and get that first screw secured while holding it at the same time. It helped that I had two clamps which I used to clamp a separate board to the bottom of the cupboard frame where I could rest the door on while securing the hinges (you can see this in the video of the build).
"What I love most about it is opening the door when I have to punch in the electricity units. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I also like the absence of the old exposed meter when I walk past that section of the passage," she says.
Tracey adds a tip or two for readers who have identified a DIY project that they would like to tackle. "Brainstorm ideas and get inspiration and more creative ideas by speaking to other people in the industry and looking at social media to see what other people have done with similar DIY projects. I also find it helpful to ask the staff at the hardware stores I use for advice on tools I will need, and what ideas they have to add to my concepts".
Readers can also message me on Instagram @thelittleeclectichouseproject for ideas and I will assist with advice and ideas wherever possible.
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