Retired British Gas engineer Colin Davis, 57, from Liverpool won the competition by cooking up a storm with this incredible outdoor kitchenRetired British Gas engineer Colin Davis, 57, from Liverpool won the competition by cooking up a storm with this incredible outdoor kitchen
Retired British Gas engineer Colin Davis, 57, from Liverpool won the competition by cooking up a storm with this incredible outdoor kitchen

10 epic home improvement projects completed during lockdown

Creative Sussex tradespeople have been named in the top ten in a national competition to find the most epic home improvement projects completed during lockdown. An engineer from Littlehampton and carpenters from Chichester and Hastings have been praised by IronmongeryDirect for using professional skills to renovate their own home.

Electrical engineer Brenda Melaniphy, 35, from Littlehampton came third for her stunning lighted decking, after transforming her garden with her partner. Hastings carpenter Steve Phelps, 59, came seventh with his homemade pizza oven and Chichester carpenter Rosie Peskett, 57, and her husband took tenth place with the kitchen extension they built from scratch, including an impressive vaulted ceiling.

Retired British Gas engineer Colin Davis, 57, from Liverpool, won the competition by cooking up a storm with an 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. What’s even more impressive is that he used recycled materials where possible, including old wood pallets and spare roof tiles.

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.”

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.”