Money saving renovations

From The Home Guide - your renovation and building resource

One of the mistakes many homeowners make is to spend all their available capital on renovating or improving specific areas and neglecting other important areas.

If you pour all your available funds into one area, you may overcapitalise, and it will be difficult for you to recover your investment if you have gone over the top.

Many people are influenced by persuasive sales techniques, glossy magazines and the advice of well-meaning friends which may lead them to focus on what they believe is the most important areas of the house. They then proceed with their renovation plan thinking they are doing the right thing according to the experts.

Fantastic improvements in one area will make the rest of your property look shabby. (You re-paint one room and then the adjoining room looks dilapidated, the curtains look tatty or the floor coverings threadbare!).

You may want to take a room-by-room approach to your upgrading. For example, every three months you completely upgrade one bedroom (new paint, carpet, curtains, light fittings etc.), but be prepared, the effect is the upgraded room can make the rest of your house look far worse than it looked prior to the improvements so make sure you have sufficient funds in your budget to complete your improvements throughout your home.

Spend the time to plan your improvements and upgrade wisely.

“Act in haste and repent at leisure”.

Kitchens

If the basic design of your kitchen is sound, it can be transformed to look brand new with some decorating attention.

Completely replacing an existing old fashioned kitchen is ideal however it may not be something that your budget can run to immediately. Before you dismiss the idea of upgrading your kitchen, make sure that you seek advice from a reputable kitchen designer to discuss your options.

If your kitchen is just a little bit jaded or dated, you may like to consider resurfacing or repainting the cupboards and countertops, replacing the cupboard and drawer hardware, upgrading the appliances (stove, dishwasher, rangehood etc.), renewing the faucets, and you can achieve a very cost effective and stunning result.

Stainless steel sinks and benchtops can be commercially polished on site and look brand new.

Some of the older style kitchens have large hanging cupboards between the kitchen and dining area – it is advisable to remove these cupboards (providing you have sufficient cupboard space).

This gives most kitchens a modern, open and spacious appearance and can allow far more natural light into the area.

Appliances

Secondhand appliances devalue a property. New stoves, dishwashers etc. are available at very realistic prices, and can be the difference between shabby and dated to attractive and appealing.

Another big consideration when replacing appliances is the on-going maintenance and repair costs.

Sometimes buying secondhand is simply false economy.

Bathrooms

You may need to replace an old toilet cistern and seat with a new suite (the difference is remarkable generally for very little investment).

You need to attend to your bathroom ventilation before decorating.

If you have an open shower cubicle (the type with a solid shower door) consider a Showerdome. This remarkable Kiwi invention reduces steam and keeps your bathroom dry and steam-free all for just a few hundred dollars (and no electricity bills!)

Vanity units and baths can also be very successfully resurfaced for about 50% of the cost of new, and the big plus is that you do not have to face those hidden surprises which may occur in the bathroom area when you start removing the built-in units.

If you have a bath with no shower, consider installing a shower over the bath, and preferably replace the shower curtain with a fixed screen, it keeps down the moisture damage to flooring.

Finally – install large mirrors in the bathrooms – they make the room look larger and are very functional.

Wardrobes and Mirrors

If the style of the bedroom is appropriate – the addition of mirrored wardrobe doors can visually enlarge small rooms.

Built in storage racks will reduce the amount of furniture required in a room – very useful for small bedrooms.

› Download this article as a PDF