In Family Handyman‘s series DIY Diaries, real DIYers share the projects they’re most proud of. They recount the full story—from laying out the initial plans and wrestling with frustrating setbacks to celebrating their proudest moments. These candid accounts reveal the true ins and outs of DIY, and will leave you with practical tips that’ll give you the confidence to conquer your next build.
Sandy Lin is a DIYer who has always loved creating, experimenting with, and learning about different things. She got her start in the makeup sphere, but one day in 2025, she decided that she wanted to make her apartment feel more like a home. So she dove into the world of DIY. She loves making the things she has work for her rather than buying new items. In her words, “DIYing allows me to make things that are unique and budget-friendly.”
Lin draws inspiration from anything and everything. Her strategy involves having an idea of what’s possible for a space or a piece of furniture, and then tailoring it to suit her taste and needs. For this bathroom project, the inspiration came from a candle and some wallpaper. When she first smelled the candle, she envisioned a beautiful garden and wanted to bring that vibe to the bathroom. But she shelved the idea until she found the perfect wallpaper, at which point she combined the two. Her goal was to give the room the whimsical feel of the movie The Secret Garden.
The Project Stages
How long did it take you?
As of now, the bathroom still needs a few more pieces before it’s complete. Lin wants to work on the ceiling, the door trim, and find a good curtain for the shower before she declares the room finished. But so far the updates have taken roughly six days. The wallpaper was 15 hours of work spread over three days, and most of the other parts of this makeover take between a few hours and a full day on their own.
Were there any setbacks you had to overcome?
According to Lin, the wallpaper was a bit of a setback in and of itself because she’d never worked with a mural wallpaper prior to this project. The first day took much longer than originally planned, and having to work around the permanent fixtures ate up a lot of time.
What’s one aspect of this project that intimidated you until you tried it?
This wasn’t Lin’s first time working with wallpaper, but this time around it was a mural instead of a plain or simple pattern, and it was the whole room, not just a small wall. She describes the challenge as “intimidating, but not as scary as I thought it was going to be.” In fact, it turns out that aligning it from top to bottom wasn’t as hard as she had anticipated.
Are there any budgeting hacks you used in this project?
Lin was able to save some money on the project by getting creative with her materials. Instead of ripping out the old cabinet and installing a new one in the finish she wanted, she used contact paper. It’s renter-friendly and much cheaper. She also wasn’t afraid to think outside the box. While most bathrooms make use of a towel bar, Lin found that opting for wall hooks instead would be half the price and would offer more storage space.
Was there a specific moment during the project where you felt the most proud or accomplished?
The glass shelves Lin installed over the toilet ended up being a highlight of the project. Much like the wallpaper, they were intimidating at first. In order for them to work correctly, they had to be perfectly aligned and mounted. There was a lot of leveling involved, and the instructions didn’t give any measurements so Lin had to figure them all out herself. She says there were a few times where she did consider just asking a professional to do it. But she stuck with it, and was “just elated when all four corners popped in correctly.”
If you could have a do-over on this project, what would you change?
Lin says she’d do more research on the wallpaper ahead of time because it was such a big undertaking. Working in a bathroom in particular means taking into consideration more factors and working around more fixtures that simply doing one wall in a living room. But she says the upside of challenge like this is that “you get to experiment and learn on the go.”
Advice for Aspiring DIYers
Where would you tell someone to start if they want to learn how to DIY their own projects?
Lin says that the right tools are important and “having a kit with the necessities makes all the difference.” She wishes that she’d had a good drill bit back when she first started.
What project is next for you?
Next up, Lin plans on taking on the guest bathroom. She’s already spent time planning out where she wants to take it. This time around, she’s anticipating working with paint to refresh the space in an even more budget-friendly way. You can follow her journey on Instagram, @heysandylin.
Do you have a DIY project you’d like featured on Family Handyman? Email us your project at fhmfranchises@tmbi.com.
The post This DIYer Turned Their Ordinary Bathroom Into a Lush Secret Garden Paradise appeared first on Family Handyman.
Article source here: This DIYer Turned Their Ordinary Bathroom Into a Lush Secret Garden Paradise
No comments:
Post a Comment