10 tradespeople who used their skills creatively at home during lockdown
Across the UK, creative tradespeople have been making the most of the national lockdowns by undertaking epic home improvement projects of their own.
Like many industries, 2020 was a tough year for many tradespeople due to Coronavirus and ongoing lockdowns, with work output in the construction industry alone falling by over 40% back in April1.
To showcase some of the most creative builds undertaken during lockdown, IronmongeryDirect launched a competition asking tradespeople to submit their most impressive home build projects.
Of the entries received, Colin Davis, 57, a British Gas Engineer from Liverpool won the prize of a £250 IronmongeryDirect voucher, thanks to his incredible outdoor kitchen build.
You can see Colin’s entry below, alongside nine of the most impressive entries.
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Colin Davis, 57, Liverpool, retired British Gas engineer
Colin won the competition by cooking up a storm with this incredible outdoor kitchen.
His wife, Angela Davis, said: “Colin’s lockdown project was initially to clear the rubbish from the end of the garden, but he kept on working and eventually built a full outdoor kitchen from scratch and roofed pergola for outdoor (Covid) entertaining!
“Since the first lockdown he has built, completely on his own, a fully tiled gazebo, kitchen area, BBQ, wood fired oven, lighting, wine rack, shelves, and box for charcoal. What’s even more impressive is that he used recycled materials where possible, including old wood pallets and spare roof tiles.
“He has also volunteered to do odd jobs and maintenance for all the local pensioners during lockdown as well as volunteer shopping. I am so proud of him and love him so much!”
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John Walsh, 60, agricultural worker from Shrewsbury
John’s grandchildren love their new tree fort, which has given them hours of joy already!
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Brenda Melaniphy, 35, electrical engineer from Littlehampton
Brenda and her partner transformed their garden with this stunning new decking, complete with inbuilt lighting.
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Lisa Wheeldon, 59, Middlesbrough
Lisa and her husband, who is an electrical engineer, have Come Together to build this Beatles inspired, mini Cavern Club bar. They didn’t even have any Help!
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Luke Crozier, 32, carpenter from Whyteleafe
Luke has no doubt made every other child at his kids’ school jealous with this incredible treehouse style bunk bed.
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Claire Hennighan, 41, Blackburn
Claire’s father, a retired surveyor, took up stone masonry and has been helping to decorate his family’s garden with his stone sculptures.
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Steve Phelps, 59, a carpenter from Hastings
Steve will no doubt be looking forward to hosting outdoor gatherings thanks to his new homemade pizza oven.
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Duncan Ashton, 43, a cabinet maker from St Neots
Duncan wanted to give his kids a special place of their own where they could play during lockdown. They helped of course!
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Samuel Knight, 35, a steel fabricator from Preston
Samuel created this impressive chandelier for his new house, using steel and LED strips.
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Rosie Peskett, 57, a carpenter from Chichester
Rosie and her husband build their own kitchen extension from scratch, including this impressive vaulted ceiling!
Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “It’s great to see so many tradespeople using their skills to create epic home improvements during these times. When we first saw Colin’s project we were absolutely blown away by the scale and quality of the work. We hope that this prize allows Colin to carry on with his hobby which he obviously has a talent for!”
For more information about Colin’s outdoor kitchen, and tips on how you can recreate it, visit: https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/blog/a-10-step-guide-to-creating-your-own-outdoor-kitchen
