Renovating Your Home on a Budget

Whether you’ve just got on the property ladder, or have bought a home years ago, if your home needs renovating then you might be nervous about the costs. After all, with a mortgage to pay and day to day expenses, money can often be tight, and you will no doubt be looking to minimise the costs wherever you can. Luckily, there are ways you can do a renovation on a budget and still get a great result. Visit https://www.urdesignmag.com/tips/2022/11/09/8-signs-your-home-needs-a-makeover-and-how-to-do-it-right/ and find out when it’s appropriate to do home makeover. 

Learn DIY skills

A lot of renovation work is quite simple and straightforward, it’s just most of us don’t have the patience to do it ourselves and would rather pay for an expert instead. When it comes to things like tiling, don’t be afraid to try it yourself. You can buy professional products like floor tile adhesive from Amber Tiles, and there are tutorials. However, you should set aside plenty of time to get the job done and pay attention to detail to get the best possible finish.

Some DIY jobs most people can do include:

  • Painting and decorating
  • Replacing hardware such as panelling and taps (if like-for-like)
  • Building furniture
  • Installing shelves

Some jobs you should leave up to the professionals include:

  • Electrical work
  • Plumbing
  • Working at a height or dangerous jobs

In addition to finding a tutorial and instructions, before you begin, you should make sure you have the correct tools. For example, there are several types of axes out there for garden work, each of which has a different purpose, so make sure you have the right one. 

Focus on the key rooms

If you have a set budget for the renovations, you should decide which rooms are a priority. In general, the kitchen and bathroom are seen as the most important rooms in a renovation, as they’re the most expensive, yet date the fastest. Most people can decorate living rooms or bedrooms by themselves but will need to hire plumbers and electricians for the kitchen and bathroom, so where possible, this is where your budget should go. 

When you’re renovating a house to rent out or sell, then the kitchen and bathrooms are even more important, as they’ve been proven to be the rooms most people focus on when viewing.

Check whether you need planning permission

Working with a professional renovator means they can advise on things like permits and what’s allowed, but if you’re doing DIY work the responsibility of finding out whether you need planning permission is all yours. Luckily, it’s quite easy to check online whether your work is permitted or whether you’ll to apply. If your home is listed, then it can get a lot more complicated, so make sure you read up on the rules before you pick up a hammer. 

You can renovate your home on the budget if you’re willing to do some of it as a DIY project and can carefully budget your money. It’s not always an easy task, but you’ll no doubt get a lot of satisfaction from the project and can feel proud of the end result.