A DIY enthusiast tells how he transformed the doors of his social housing unit using clever, money-saving tricks.
He refurbished the doors from cheap and dated to expensive and even managed to keep the price down by adding two DIY tricks for just £5.
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Martin, who bears the name of @martindiy On TikTok he showed on social media how he converted 25 municipal doors into ladder doors in one weekend.
He used two small hand routers to mill long vertical grooves and a jig to mill horizontal lines. This saved him from having to measure and mark out the ladder pattern each time.
He then painted the doors with satinwood paint in the colour Dulux natural slate and refitted all the handles and hinges.
Now he’s exclusively revealed to Fabulous more tricks on how to transform these doors and how the total cost came to around £35.
He says: “We use a little palm router that you can buy on eBay for £20, brand new.
“We also used a 90 degree V groove cutter (Amazon £8), and then it’s just the cost of paint.”
Martin also explained what the most difficult part of the transformation process was.
He says: “The hardest part was determining the right dimensions for the ladder type.
“We liked the seven-panel doors best, so we divided the total door height by seven. That gave us the distance between the doors.
“The only thing I would say to anyone who wants to do this is to double check your measurements.
“I have made many detailed video guides about TikTok and YouTube so that it is easy to follow even for beginners.
“Even small mistakes can be easily corrected.”
His videos on TikTok often get a lot of likes and comments as people share their thoughts.
“Great idea mate, it looks stunning,” cheered one DIY fan.
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Another added: “That’s class. I wish my house had council doors.”
While someone else simply said, “I love them.”
How can I get social housing?
To apply for social housing, you must complete an application form and submit it to your municipality.
To find your municipality, you can simply use the municipality finder on the government website.
Once you have access to your municipality’s website, you will find guidelines there for completing your application.
After you register, you will likely be placed on a waiting list.
Please note that even if you are placed on the waiting list, this does not guarantee an offer of social housing.
Your local authority can also advise you on how to continue living in your current home and resolve any issues, such as problems with a private landlord or mortgage.
You are eligible for application for social housing if you are a British citizen living in the UK, provided you have not recently lived abroad.
Each municipality has its own local rules about who is eligible to be placed on the housing list for its area, but these rules are based on a system of ‘points’ or ‘bands’.
For example, you will probably be the first to be offered a home if you:
- are homeless
- living in cramped conditions
- have a medical condition that is aggravated by your current home
- trying to escape domestic violence
Once you are high enough on the municipality’s waiting list, you will be contacted as soon as a home becomes available.
In some municipalities you can submit an application from the age of 18, in other municipalities you can submit an application from the age of 16.
EU workers and their families and refugees may also be eligible.
You will be allocated social housing through a points system. Depending on your housing needs, you may be given low priority.
Once you are high enough on the waiting list, the municipality will contact you about available housing.
There is no limit to how long you will be on the waiting list.
