Affording Home Renovation: a DIY Guide

For most people buying a home is an investment of a lifetime, but living in the same house for years may make you think that renovation is due. Despite proper care, repairs and maintenance, there are some fixtures and features in a normal house that need renovations from time to time.

Renovations can be expensive and sometimes beyond your budget. The new and attractive kitchen cabinets, countertops, toilet and bathroom fixtures, wooden flooring, and others often appear as a distant dream.

Some general ways to save money on remodelling includes planning in advance, shopping for materials, getting several bids, etc. Specific ways include:

• Prepare for the renovation project well and make an exhaustive list of the tasks involved. Attend to all the necessary repair work as the first step towards remodelling. Gran Designs WA suggests removing all junk first to open up space immediately.

• Remove all unwanted stuff and give them away to open up space immediately.

• For the kitchen, give it a trendy look with new cabinet doors. You can repair and clean the windows, ventilation shafts, and doors with the help of DIY kits.

• Store rarely used appliances in cabinets. Use glass on the cabinet doors if you can afford them. Change the knobs, hinges, and handles on doors.

• Revamp the look of your house by changing the blinds and shutters of the patio doors. Install new window curtains or blinds in the living room.

• Upgrade the bedroom with new lighting. Make some attractive pillow and cushion covers with leftover pieces of fabric or discarded clothing.

• You can change the wall paint with lighter shades and hang new art pieces or photos to decorate them.

• Have professionals clean your carpet, and invest in indoor plants. Use laminated, wood-like flooring; they look like wood, but cheaper.

Buy all finishing materials and other articles yourself. Consult your contractor and reuse as many materials as possible to cut costs. A little ingenuity and hard work go a long way into your dream home.