Limpopo mum transforms family home with budget-friendly DIY projects
From a complete kitchen makeover to outdoor couches and a hidden freezer, a mother of two shares how she turns everyday materials into high-end home spaces.
A wife and stay-at-home mum to two young children, Linde-Mari Riekert, who lives on a farm near Roedtan in Limpopo, turned to DIY to fill her days, and somewhere along the way, she discovered a talent for turning ideas, bits of wood and a healthy dose of courage into beautiful spaces.
She believes there’s a different kind of beauty in the simplicity of our surroundings and it inspired her to create a home that feels just as ‘beautiful, simple and earthy’ on the inside. “A place that makes us feel like we never want to leave.”
Photo: Supplied
And while Riekert now handles power tools with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what she’s doing, she is refreshingly honest about the fact that she often has absolutely no idea what she’s doing when she starts.
“I just figure it out as I go,” she laughs.
That approach has led to everything from a complete kitchen makeover to outdoor couches, a hidden freezer and a bathroom transformation, with plenty of mistakes, lessons and ‘well, let’s see what happens’ moments along the way.
The kitchen that started it all
One of Riekert’s biggest DIY projects was redoing her entire kitchen using flat-pack units from Builders Warehouse.
“I thought I was going to struggle so much with that project, but I was so desperate for a more functional kitchen that I just started.”
As it turned out, it was far easier than she expected. Cupboards worth around R12 000 completely changed the look and functionality of the kitchen and gave Riekert a valuable confidence boost.
Learning from the not-so-perfect projects
Of course, not everything goes according to plan.
Riekert’s attempt at creating a concrete countertop is one project she remembers particularly well. Before discovering the joys of microcement, she used kilograms and kilograms of material to create her own countertop.
After drying for several days, the countertop started cracking.
“It was a lot of work for a very different end result than what I had hoped for,” she says.
But instead of letting the failed project put her off DIY, she took it as a lesson and started again the next day with a new idea.
“That taught me to accept when mistakes happen and just start the next day fresh.”
Top 5 projects
1. The microcement table on a crazy budget
Riekert built the table from just two sheets of plywood, with the entire project costing around R2 850, excluding the drill and circular saw.
“I love that it shows what’s possible when you’re willing to try something yourself.”
It’s also a perfect example of why DIY doesn’t have to mean compromising on style. With a little creativity, relatively inexpensive materials can be turned into something that looks like it belongs in a high-end home.
2. The hidden deep freezer
A deep freezer may be practical, but that doesn’t mean it has to be an eyesore.
Riekert built a cupboard around hers so that it blends seamlessly into the room and she used scrap wood left over from previous projects to keep the cost down.
For Riekert, the project is about more than hiding an appliance.
“You don’t have to settle for something that visually bothers you. Even when something feels impossible to change, there’s usually a way around it with a few small adjustments.”
3. Outdoor couches
One of the most satisfying projects is one that makes you realise you’re capable of far more than you thought.
Riekert built her outdoor couches using wood worth around R1 500, despite never imagining she would be brave enough to build couches herself.
“It pushed me so far outside my comfort zone and it’s a daily reminder that growth often happens when you’re most uncomfortable.”
The project even inspired her to start creating structural drawings and plans to help other people tackle similar projects themselves, complete with links, cut lists and step-by-step guides.
Her bigger dream is to eventually open the doors of her own workshop and create a safe space where people can become more confident with tools and make something with their hands.
4. The bathroom transformation
This one came with an extra challenge: Riekert tackled the entire bathroom renovation just five months after giving birth.
She worked mostly at night once her children were in bed, turning the renovation into a two-week project that she describes as one of her most exhausting but also most satisfying projects to date.
Using Mixx Cement, she transformed all four bathroom walls without the need for demolition. The project used two 10kg bags of cement, two 5L binders and two 1L sealers, costing roughly R6 000 in total.
No sledgehammer required, which is probably good news for anyone who likes the idea of renovating but not the idea of creating a mountain of rubble.
5. The kids’ playroom
Some projects are simply about creating a little magic for the people who live in it.
“I will always find the most joy in creating fun spaces for my children,” says Riekert.
Her children’s playroom came together gradually, with several smaller projects making up the finished space.
She built a TV unit, added a rock-climbing wall and finished it off with a small indoor playhouse that doubles as toy storage.
The room evolved over time and is a perfect example of how a home can be improved one project at a time.
Start small and stop waiting to feel ready
For anyone who sees Riekert’s projects and immediately thinks, ‘there’s no way I could do that,’ her advice is reassuringly simple: “Start small.”
Try a décor piece or a simple furniture makeover. Or, if there’s a particular power tool that makes you nervous, choose one and learn how to use it.
For Riekert, the jigsaw was a turning point. “The day I started using my jigsaw was the day so many more projects suddenly became possible.”
She also believes people put far too much pressure on themselves to get everything perfect.
“Even today, some of my projects have mistakes, and I can honestly say that most of the time, no one even notices them.”
And confidence, she says, comes from doing, not just watching endless tutorials.
For Riekert, DIY has become about much more than keeping busy on the farm. It has become a way of creating a home, learning new skills and proving to herself over and over again that she can do hard things.
And if a project goes wrong?
There’s always tomorrow, a new idea and another piece of wood waiting to be turned into something.
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