For many of us, we dream of making our homes a little more gorgeous, a little more comfortable. However, we are always faced with other immediate expenses such as emergencies or repair costs for our car. Something is almost always in the way of our renovation plans.
You’re probably itching to repaint your walls or get those new cabinets. You know, there are many ways that you can transform your home without burning your wallet? Yes! In this post, we’ll share with you seven tips for affordable renovations. Let’s begin!
Reorganise First
The first thing you can do would be to reorganise the space so that you can achieve maximum utility. After reorganising, you may realise that you don’t need to renovate after all. For example, you can replace shelves that eat up too much space, especially in the kitchen. If you can do this, you may not have to expand your cabinets to get more storage space after all.
Light Up the Space
You may have been eyeing those bi-fold doors so you can capture more light in the room. To brighten up a space with no windows, you can install a solar tube skylight. It will cost you about $500. A skylight slips between the roof rafters which then brings sunlight below.
Recycle Some Materials
You can save a lot of money if you recycle some of the building materials and fixtures. However, some builders may recommend against using salvaged items since new ones are more guaranteed to have the best results. But if you’re doing a DIY renovation, you can look for reclaimed hardwood timber floors, windows, and acrylic skylights.
Plan Long-term
An example of this is getting pre-finished materials. Sure, they can be expensive, but then you don’t have to have it finished or painted. You can buy weatherboards that have already been primed and painted. The same goes for skirtings and decking boards. You can also have prefabricated wall finishes. Upfront, they are going to cost more, but you will save a lot of time and money in the long run. But if you don’t have that big a budget yet, Hire a Hubby can do the job.
Check Your Light Bulbs
As much as you can, try to limit the use of old-style halogens. Go for ceiling or wall mounted light fixtures. They can deliver more wattage, and you won’t be needing too many fixtures installed.
Go for a One-time Consultation
You have to assess your renovation project. Maybe you won’t really need an architect for the whole duration of the renovation. Ask architects around your city if they can give you a one-time consultation for the design for a flat fee. With this consultation, the architect can meet with you, assess the problem, and then sketch a solution which can then be passed on to the builder for the formal construction drawings.
Don’t Move the Toilet or the Sink
If you can avoid it, don’t move the toilet or the kitchen sink. However, if the new plan really requires that they have to be moved, take the chance to upgrade the pipes as well. But yes, that’s going to cost you more, so try to avoid it as much as you can.
These are just a few ways to save on the renovation costs. If you plan to DIY the renovation, make sure that you have sufficient knowledge and skills as well as tools. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself in the process just to save money, as that’s just going to cost you more money. Â
So, how are your renovation plans going so far? Tell us about it the comments below!
Author Bio
Marlouzel Mabunga is a writer who also spends time doing DIY projects at home. She and her mom love to do renovation projects around the house by themselves. For more complex projects, they call on painters and builders to do the heavy work. Marlouzel likes writing about these projects so that other people who like to DIY can get better ideas on how to find materials and designs.
