Floors, Walls & Doors: RENOVATIONS ON A BUDGET

In a recent report by Trulia, 9 out of 10 homeowners had plans to remodel their homes. In fact, UK homeowners spent £4,000 on home renovations since March and 80 percent of potential home buyers now say they are prepared to purchase a fixer-upper. However, home renovations can help you make a new home your own and add value to its market price, they can also be costly.

New homeowners can spend up to £13,000 on renovations alone. For those looking to save money on a home renovation, it all comes down to budgeting. Getting your home renovation budget right can kickstart a beautiful but cost-efficient home renovation project – and leave your finances looking great too. 

First Home

ALLOCATE COSTS WHEN BUDGETING

The greater detail you go into when budgeting for a home renovation, the better it is. Instead of budgeting an overall amount for your home improvement project, take it further, and allocate amounts to each part of the process. This gives you better visualisation and also allows you to see where you may be spending too much. If you can see the renovation aspect that is throwing your overall budget into disarray, then you are in a better position to reduce those renovation costs.

For instance, a kitchen renovation costs at least £10,000 but upon further investigation, the cabinet units cost homeowners between £2,000 and £3,000 alone. If you are looking to cut costs, then exploring budget-friendly kitchen cabinets is a good place to start. Using renovation costing resources and checklists from custom builders can help you get an idea of the categories in the renovation process you need to budget for. These include planning permits, survey costs, foundational work, and clearing of debris.

Work from the top downwards

Having just completed a bathroom renovation I highly recommend starting from the top and working your way downwards. Renovations are often messy and this mess usually impacts the lower half of your rooms the most.

Imagine spending months creating the perfect ground floor to only make it messy when you start on the upper floor loft conversion. By renovating from the top downwards you minimise the mess affecting your newly renovated walls, floors and rooms.

Begin with structural work, ceilings, and walls. The jobs associated with this area of work tend to cause the most mess. Both plastering and painting can cause mess to the lower parts of a room. After any plastering has dried, the ceiling should be painted first. This allows you to effectively cover the surface with at least two coats while not having to worry about any over-spray (the effect of excess paint being sprayed onto the walls) by the roller.

Once the ceiling and walls have been taken care of you can consider what appliances need to be built in and flooring laid. From carpet, laminate, tiling and lvt flooring. To ensure that your flooring isn’t damaged during the rest of your renovation make sure to have that fitted last.

Budget Items that Can Transform your home

Renovations don’t need to be expensive and they don’t always require buying new paint or appliances. Here are some budget home items that can add a touch of class to your home.

  • Lay a stylish stair runner. Stairs are often the first thing you see when you walk in to your home. Update your stairs with a smart and stylish stair runner.
  • Reinstate the fireplace. A fireplace is a wonderful focal point to any room and you can often update your fireplace with accessories.
  • Do up or ditch the old front door. A fresh coat of paint can work wonders, but if your front door has had its day, invest in a new one. Your front door is your first impression after all.
  • Stylish curtains. New curtains can really add style to a room. Unless you opt for made to measure curtains they can also be moved from room or house to house.
  • Build some shelves. You can never have too much storage space, so make the most of every inch with some new shelving. Shelves are very low cost and can fit into any awkward space.

Hopefully this blog post has been able to help you learn some ways to save money during your next home renovation. I’d love to hear the ways you’ve managed to save money on your home renovation below.