In this ever-changing world, upgrading our living space helps us live according to the needs of the day. Initially, the idea to renovate your home may look like a never-ending process. With the renovation requirements added every day to the list, the cost may also exceed what you planned.
Identifying budget-friendly ways to upgrade, with a ‘do-it-yourself (DIY) approach, will have a tremendous impact on your home. Improvements at home will add more value to the property. Here are some ideas that will help you renovate your home within your estimated budget.
Importance of Prioritising Remodeling Needs
Renovating your home is an important decision that needs strict planning with a well-planned budget. Here are some questions you need to ask before you start renovation of your home. You must first know exactly where to start your renovation.
Prepare a priority list that tells what you want to do and what changes you want to incorporate in your home. Discuss with your family members if you want to change the floor plan or upgrade cabinets or install new kitchen counters or get new tiles for your bathroom.
Next, the main reason for the renovation may be a need that cannot be fulfilled now in your home. It may be a need for more space for your grown-up children or a space to work from home without any disturbance for you. Whatever the reason may be, write down your priority needs and then start working.
Do-it-yourself (DIY) as You Wish
If you have the required tools and skills for renovating your home, it will save both time and money. Instead of hiring skilled persons to paint or fix cabinets or alter the extra space, you can do them yourself. If the renovation requires plumbing, electrical, and masonry, it is better to hire professionals to get the work done neatly and efficiently.
Try to get at least three quotations and check them for cost-effectiveness. Working with your family members or friends, painting fences or planting trees, or removing weeds in your garden can help you strengthen your bond and cherish the time spent with them.
Shopping Yourself for Renovation Materials
If you have planned to renovate a part of your home, it may be a good idea to purchase products as per your choice. When you buy materials, you can compare the price and quality of the products. You can make use of the discounts, in-store promotions, reward points, and gift cards. Purchasing recycled or used lighting fixtures may save money. But purchasing on your own may take extra time and effort to transport them home.
Sometimes, purchasing products void of product warranty may land you with unexpected problems during renovation. In that case, it is always good to trust your builder. Your builder may know better than you, so you can rely on them to do a better job.
Renovating Your Kitchen
Cabinets
Cabinets and Countertops occupy most of the space in the kitchen. Renovating them will change the look of the kitchen. Instead of replacing the kitchen cabinets made of quality wood, you can paint them with a color that makes your kitchen brighter. Roll-out trays added to the cabinets make them look modern.
Peel-and-stick wood products and wallpapers give a fresh look to old cabinets. For a classic look, you can add corbels below cabinets. You can add or remove the doors on upper cabinets to give easy access to your kitchen storage. If you have a stand-alone cabinet in your kitchen, you can add rolling casters to move them as you wish.
Countertops
The kitchen countertop is the focal point while cooking or washing cooking utensils. Kitchen countertops must have enough space so that the kitchen doesn’t look clumsy and cluttered. Apart from a stone countertop for your kitchen, you can choose laminate countertops or countertops with ceramic or glass tiles.
Choosing a prefabricated slab can also save money, but you need to be satisfied with the available colours and plain edges. Affordable natural stone slabs cost less and save money. Quartz countertops are durable with zero maintenance. They are cheaper and don’t compromise on colour, beauty, and style.
Backsplash
Replacing a worn-out backsplash with patterns or colours will give a fresh look to your kitchen. You can choose from tile, glass, stone, and ceramic boards as per your budget. By choosing to install a backsplash only behind a range or near a sink can also save money. Thermoplastic panels, pre-finished beadboard, and vinyl wallpapers are cheaper.
Renovating Your Bathroom
Reusing existing pieces
While renovating your bathroom, it is better to refurbish your bathtub instead of replacing it with a new one. The shower and the taps in the bathroom need to be cleaned to make them shine and look new.
The flooring in the bathroom needs attention, as it will be wet all through the day. Slippery bathroom floors can be cleaned thoroughly and make them look fresh and new.
Touch up tubs
A simple coat of paint on the walls of the bathroom may prevent mildew and mold. Choosing bright colours will make even the small bathroom look spacious and bigger.
Choosing Your Wallpaper
Using the peel-and-stick type of wallpapers in the bathroom will help you brighten up the space. Choose wallpapers with different patterns and colours that would suit your bathroom.
Peel-and-stick wallpapers can be changed once in six months to keep the look fresh and good.
Retaining the Same Layout
Spacious bathrooms add more flexibility and make your bathing time a relaxed one. Choose to upgrade your bathroom with the latest gadgets available in the market.
Renovating Your Living Room
Flooring
Replacing the existing flooring with a new one during renovation must not exceed the budget. The peel-and-stick flooring doesn’t need you to remove the existing flooring. You can install it on top of the existing cement or tile finish.
Worn-out carpets on the floor can be replaced with a new one as carpets are available in varieties that suit even tight budgets. Wooden laminates or vinyl tiles are also some of the cost-effective flooring choices.
Open up Space
While renovating, if you want to open up extra space, merging rooms would be the better option. Decide if the extra space would be used as a study room or work-from-home office.
Before removing a wall, check if it is important to the structure of the home. If it is a non-load-bearing wall, the cost will be minimal and will make your work easy.
Rearranging/Refurbishing Furniture
Rearranging furniture in the living room can change its look and feel. The existing furniture can be refurbished to give it a new look and add elegance to the living room.
Refurbishing old furniture would help you spend within your budget. If it is of quality wood, painting can save the furniture with a fresh look.
Renovating Your Bedroom
Update Handles, Not Cabinetry
Instead of replacing your old cabinet with a new one, replace the old handle. The cost of the handle would be much less than a new cabinet, and it will help you spend within your budget. While choosing the handle, select the material, shape, and colour that will sync with the interior.
Save on Feature Shelving
Installing shelves in your bedroom would add elegance. Recycled timber can be cut to the required size and be sealed with a clear coating finish. While renovation, a simple corner in the bedroom can be transformed into a home office with a bookshelf space.
Your builder can install a custom-made bookshelf; fixed above the bed, and painted in vivid colours in contrast against the bedroom wall.
Renovating Your Entry Room
Mudroom
Your family members may have diverse interests to spend their leisure time with. Sports and outdoor activities bring along with it more dust and dirt home. So, if you have a budget-smart mudroom, it will serve the purpose. A shelf or a seat or some hooks may serve the purpose. With allocated space for each family member, you can help them follow their daily routine easier.
Painting stairs
With your minimum budget, you can paint stairs at home and help them stand out. Choosing the color that highlights the stairs that connect one floor to another will add positive energy at home. You can choose a pattern or a color or a theme to make them stand out.
Conclusion
Renovating your home may not sound great when you are tossed between too many commitments. But, after getting the work done, you would feel the fresh air and appreciate the new look of your home.
Completing the renovation in stages may seem to be a slow process, but that will give you the breathing time to relax and complete the renovation with satisfaction.
Author Bio:
Matias is a home renovation specialist who manages the operation of renovation projects that he has to do for the company he works for, BIC Construction Pty Ltd.
