Redesigning your home? Here Are 6 Tips When Renovating Your House On A Budget
During the pandemic, one of the things that people have worked on is improving and redesigning their homes. For the lucky ones who were fortunate to work from home, they tried their best to turn their spaces into a place where they could work comfortably. After all, it’s hard to concentrate and shift into your work mood when your surrounding is unorganised.
Frankly, renovating your home can be heavy on the pocket, especially if you don’t have the budget yet. And so, before you mindlessly start buying new furniture and negotiating with a designer, you must plan your renovation journey first. Doing so will help you spend wisely and avoid having regrets about your home design.
If you’re one of the many wanting to renovate their homes for quite some time now, here are some tips to help you. Here are six tips when redesigning your house on a budget.
1 – Create a list of the areas, equipment, and furniture you need to buy or replace.
First, let’s start by creating a list. If you’re starting without a proposed budget, it’s best to list the things you’re likely to buy. You can start by looking around your house and studying the areas you want to work on the most. Once you have eyes on the spaces you want to renovate the most, start listing the items you want to replace in that area.
If you want to renovate your dining area, ask yourself if you wish to redesign the room or just replace your furniture. Sometimes, homeowners confuse themselves by thinking they want to renovate the space when all they need is a new room theme. Maybe you just need to replace your existing dining chairs with a rattan-themed Cesca chair to make it look more modern.
Or maybe, the walls are the ones bothering you. Whatever it is that you want to change, list it. That way, you can do the second tip easier and in an organised manner.
2 – Scout the prices of the things, equipment, and furniture you plan to buy or replace.
Now that you have a list of the things you want to change in your house, it’s time to scout the items you intend to buy. Why? So you can compare the prices from different shops, and get to buy from the ones where you can save more. It is helpful, especially if you don’t have a specific budget yet.
As you scout the items, go for ones that will last you a long time. Even though you’re trying to save money, it’s still necessary not to skimp on items you’ll use daily. Of course, there are things you can easily skimp on like curtains, tablecloths, etc. But for necessities like wall paint, sinks, toilets, dining sets, and more, you must choose quality items.
3 – Allocate a budget based on the total price of your possible expenses.
After you scout the prices of all the items you plan to buy, it’s time for you to allocate your budget. Setting a budget based on your scouted items will help you avoid spending more on unnecessary items you think you need. On top of that, this will help you reexamine your list to check if all the things you listed are a necessity or not.
It would also be wise to have an emergency budget for additional costs you might need during the renovation. You can include the costs for labour, item replacements, and utilities. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about where to get the funds in case of a renovation emergency.
4 – Classify the areas or tasks you think need professional work from the ones you can DIY.
It would be wise to classify the tasks you think need professionals from the ones you can do to avoid spending too much. If you’re replacing your toilet and sink, that clearly needs a professional plumber to do the work for you. But if you’re just planning to repaint your kitchen, maybe you can allocate a weekend to doing that task.
Of course, most homeowners would still prefer to hire a professional painter to get the best results. But if you’re confident that you can ace the painting or fixing other areas in your house, do it. It would be a fun activity to try and also save money.
5 – Consider selling your old furniture and other items that you’ll be replacing.
Unfortunately, when people replace their furniture, the first thing they do is just dispose of them immediately. Even though the piece is still in good condition, they just leave it for the garbage truck to throw. Can you imagine how better it would be to just sell your old furniture pieces instead of throwing them away?
Most of the time, selling used furniture will not bring you back the money you spent for that piece. However, it’s better to earn something back from it instead of just mindlessly throwing it away. So if you’re planning to just dispose of your old furniture pieces, I suggest selling them to junk shops or furniture shops that buy used furniture.
6 – Consider a classic theme and style for your home to avoid constant renovations.
Last but not least is to consider a classic theme or style for your home. Why? Because incorporating a classic style will help you avoid unnecessary renovations. The same goes for the choice of furniture, wall colours and prints, and accent pieces that you’ll incorporate.
Like fashion, home design elements can go out of trend instantly. If you always aim to follow the latest home trend designs, you’ll have to renovate your home constantly. And that simply means spending more money than necessary. So to avoid spending money on a renovation you don’t need, consider a classic theme for your home.
A home renovation doesn’t have to be costly to be pretty. You just need to be wise in your choices and spending.
Hopefully, the six tips I shared will help you renovate your house practically. When you feel down about the expenses that could cost you, remember that it doesn’t have to be expensive to be pretty. You can renovate and redesign your home on a budget by being wise in your choices and money.
About the author:
Bianca Banda is a writer for Where Saints Go U.K., an eclectic online furniture company that provides unique, beautiful, and quality pieces of furniture at affordable prices.
