Woman who dreamed of a £10,000 kitchen built it herself for £350 with Facebook purchases
LIKE many people, Bethany Hudson dreamed of a new kitchen when she bought her first home.
But spending £10,000 wasn’t in her budget, so she decided to head to Facebook Marketplace and found a complete apartment for £350.
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The savvy homeowner told how shocked she was when she saw a nearly new kitchen set for sale, including cabinets, refrigerator, freezer, countertops and dishwasher.
Bethany tells Fabulous: “When we got the keys we thought it just needed a lick of paint and that we could gradually renovate it.
“But when we looked further into it, we saw that the house had thick black mold in every room, especially the kitchen.
“So we had to tear the whole thing out and start over. It definitely didn’t fit our budget!
“It was great to see it looking so neat and fresh, but I started to panic at the thought of a brand new kitchen because they are so expensive.
“I decided to check out Facebook Marketplace because my mom and stepdad had recently gotten some good deals there.”
The homeowner – who the @Bethyshome Instagram page – I also needed an oven but it wasn’t included in the deal so I went back to Facebook to find a deal.
She was amazed to find a Rangemaster oven and extractor hood for £300 and a Franke Junor sink for £80.
She also bought a vertical radiator worth £30.
Work begins
Bethany added: “It was perfect! We could finally start painting and changing the lights.
“We are lucky enough to have family members who work in the construction industry, so we were able to save money by getting help to fit new spotlights in the kitchen (which look a lot like Tetris!) and bringing the oak worktops back to life.”
Bethany’s stepfather laid new herringbone laminate flooring and installed Wickes tiles on the walls.
Her partner is a plumber, so they were able to save money by doing a lot of the work themselves.
She continued: “We are so happy and grateful to have such talented and skilled family members.
“We have learned so much along the way and will continue to do so!
“Us next project is the bathroom! But you can be sure that we will use Facebook Marketplace as much as possible.”
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Great success
Bethany shared a clip of the transformation on her TikTok account (@bethyboodo) and has now been viewed more than 18,000 times.
Someone wrote: “Unreal.”
A second added: “Beautiful.”
Meanwhile, a third commented: “Why do I never find this kind of stuff on FB marketplace?”
Top Tips for Buying on Facebook Marketplace
Beware of scammers
As a rule of thumb, do business locally and in person. Be cautious if someone asks you to ship an item. Use only secure payment methods, read buyer and seller reviews, and inspect an item carefully before purchasing. Also, keep communicating via Messenger.
Choose rich areas to get quality items at low prices
A wealthy person selling something on Marketplace probably doesn’t know or care what their item is worth. This is a jackpot scenario for a buyer.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
If an item has been on the market for weeks, offer 25% below the asking price. The seller will likely counter-offer, but you will still get the item for less than the original price.
Do not send the automatically filled message ‘Is this item still available?’
If you see an item that is well priced and in demand, and you really like it, don’t wait any longer. Send a friendly opening message with an offer, and make the transaction hassle-free for the seller.
Keep search items as broad as possible
Assume the seller doesn’t know exactly what they have, where it came from, what the material is, what the design style is, or how much it’s worth. Then cast a wide net.
