Every once in a while, your house will need upgrading. However, renovations can set you back, as we all know. If you want to upgrade your home but can’t afford the most expensive of anything, that does not mean you cannot make a perfectly beautiful home. All it takes is a well organised plan with a little extra thought and consideration. By planning and choosing wisely, you will be able to do everything you want without breaking the bank. What’s more, it will look as if you spent a whole load more than you did.
The Budget
Set an honest budget that you know you can stick to that won’t see you struggling for the foreseeable future. Also, it makes sense you make this budget out of the money you already have saved. Getting into debt for your project is perhaps not the wisest of choices. So, save for a while, see what you have at the end, and create an all-inclusive budget.
Time is Money
And to be honest, we mean it in reverse here. Don’t jump in and make any rash decisions. If you have a strict budget, you will want to be doing a lot of hunting about finding great deals. Think about doing a room at a time rather than gutting the entire house and going mad trying to do it up. This means you will need to set a list of priorities, for example, which aspect of the project is the most intensive. That will need to be done first. Also, taking your time, looking for recommendations as well as thinking about costs will avoid you getting a cowboy builder. Remember things such as electric need things such as an eicr report cost, which would be needed if you wanted to sell your home at some point.
DIY
A lot of smaller projects can be done by yourself. If you are lucky you may have a family member or friend to call on to help you. If you are not exactly up to scratch on all things DIY, then YouTube is an absolute must. You will be able to find almost anything you need to do on there. However, be honest about your skills. Sometimes you may end up wasting more money and time than it would have done to get someone in to do the job in the first place. So, yes DIY is a great way to save money, but don’t over-estimate your abilities.
Reuse and Reupholster
A great money-saving tip is to upcycle some of your existing materials. Everything does not need to be brand new. You can easily make furniture and even kitchen cabinets look new by giving them a makeover. Think sanding down and painting or varnishing. You can actually find a very unique style this way. Also, think about the second-hard market. Sometimes you really can pick up an absolute bargain that looks way better than anything in the brand new catalogues anyway.
