How to Renovate a House on the Cheap

When you sit down to begin planning a home renovation, it can be easy for the costs to add up. No matter the budget you set, you will always end up going over (make sure you add that 10 to 20 percent cushion!), so the more you can save in various costs, the better off you will be. It is possible to renovate your house reasonably affordably if you are willing to invest a little bit more time and effort. Here are a few tips for renovating your home on a budget without sacrificing quality.

Increase Efficiency, Not Size

It is costly to completely redo a room to gain square footage when often the problem is a lack of storage. If you can reorganize and equip the room for maximum utility, you will not need to blow out the walls. It can be expensive to shell out the money to upgrade things like cabinets and shelves, but you will save a lot more by skipping the addition you thought you needed.

If it is vital to increase the size of a room, see if it is possible to remove a wall instead of creating an addition. It will make your house feel brand new and improve flow without costing too much. Make sure to check if the wall you want to remove is load-bearing since those are much more complicated projects to navigate. If it is a non-load-bearing wall, it will be easy to remove, and the cost will be minimal.

Refinish Instead of Replace

Homeowners often get bogged down in their homes looking drab when the problem is just cosmetic. When a part of your home looks old, it can be tempting to rip it all out and start over, but don’t underestimate the effect that refinishing can have on a space. A very easy way to refresh any space is with paint. You can add an accent wall with a fun colour or paint them all for a fresh look. Don’t stop at walls – furniture and cabinets can also be updated easily with a fresh coat of paint.

Other refinishing projects are equally easy and will go a long way in giving your house a new look. A new backsplash in the kitchen is increasingly easy for homeowners to install themselves and looks very stylish. A runner down the hallway or on stairs can hide large marks and give new life to high-traffic areas. Fresh caulking around a tub can go a long way in making your bathroom look new. Old furniture can be spruced up by refinishing the wood or reupholstering the material. The possibilities are endless.

Reuse and Recycle

Just because you are tired of your furniture in one location does not mean it can’t be given new life elsewhere. Some of those old kitchen cabinets can be set up to create a downstairs kitchenette. Knobs and light switches can be easily changed to another location. Even simply rearranging furniture can completely change the look and feel of a room without costing a dime.

If you are willing to put in a little time, you can reap big savings with recycled or lightly used fixtures and other materials. Search online or thrift stores for items at a fraction of home center prices. The caveat if you choose to recycle: many contractors will not work with salvaged items, or homeowner-supplied items in general, because they don’t want to assume the liability if something goes wrong. However, if you are doing most or all of the work yourself, you can find plenty of materials simply by looking around a little bit.

DIY When Possible

Unless you have a strict timeline for your renovation, it is always worth doing at least some of the work yourself. There are plenty of jobs that can be done by the average homeowner, such as demolition, painting, sanding, or insulating. Instead of paying someone to do tasks you can easily do yourself, save money and contribute to your renovation.

Before all else, make sure you have a plan for your renovation. If you are not specific about what you want both with yourself and any contractors, you will end up costing yourself more money by potentially performing renovations that you don’t end up loving.