Guest Post

This article was written by John from Home Loan Finder. Visit Home Loan Finder to compare home loan interest rates.

Note: This article covers a topic that is not usually written about in this blog. It captured my interest – I became a homeowner for the first time on July of this year (yay!) and this post really touched base with me. You’ll expect to read more topics like this in this blog in the future. Read on and enjoy! – Marlon R :-)

Renovations don’t just add monetary value to a property, but they also help you revive and refresh your attitude and approach to the space in which you live or work. However, adding value shouldn’t come at the cost of good value and you want to make sure your renovation is as affordable as it is stylish. Therefore, consider the following tips to help you save money on your renovations.

Be Easily Inspired

If you’re planning a renovation you need to be very clear about the look and the style you want to achieve, so that even amidst the sandpaper and paint cans, your project comes out the other end looking just as you hoped it would. As a result, many people recruit the help of a professional interior designer or decorator, but if you’re looking to save money on your renovation you need to get creative about where you find your inspiration and direction.

Therefore, start looking online and in magazines for tips and advice on renovating spaces like yours. You will find a myriad of decorating blogs, as well as many design stores which will offer advice and tips on using their products for the best results. One place you’ve find easy and affordable inspiration is through colour because adding a new coat of paint to a space in a new colour will completely change the look, feel and focus of our home or office. For example, painting all of your walls white will make the space look bigger and you can then pick up cheap and colourful odds and ends such as pillows, candles and picture frames to add an accent.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

You can also save the earth as you save money on your renovation by considering how you can make your home or office more environmentally friendly, and choosing sustainable and ethically produced products. First look at greener alternatives to your renovation such as choosing recycled materials to use in your project. Wood, metal and plastic and be recycled and reused in your renovation and you will have stopped those materials going to waste and you will have brought a unique element into your renovation style which you wouldn’t have found in any old store.

If you are doing major renovations and knocking through walls, look at where you are placing windows. You want as many windows as possible to face north if you are in the southern hemisphere and south if you are in the northern hemisphere. This will help to increase the amount of natural light in your rooms so that you don’t always have to turn the lights on. It will also mean your rooms are warmed by sunlight in the winter time so you can reduce your heating costs, while the sun travels higher in summer and won’t hit your windows as much.

You do of course still need lighting, but choose recessed lights which operate on a lower voltage than traditional lights and utilise dimmer systems so you can control the amount of light you need, and the amount of power you use.

If you are calling in the help of professionals with your renovation, check out the background of the company you are using to assess their ecological profile. Ask your construction company what they do to help the environment and how they reduce their emissions, for example controlling emissions from their equipment, disposing of their waste and recycling parts – none of which should cost you any extra in their fees.

If you are able to implement green changes to your home or office as part of your renovation you may also be eligible for incentives and rebates from your local government. A quick online search of your area will show you whether your renovation would be eligible for any cash back.

DIY

A common way people try to save on their renovations is by doing a lot of the work themselves, rather than paying a premium for tradespeople. This is a great way to save on a renovation, as long as you know what you’re doing and your own work isn’t going to end up costing you more money to fix down the track. Unless you are a licensed plumber or electrician you should leave these parts of your renovation to the professionals. Instead, look for things like painting or stripping out a kitchen or bathroom. The best way to decide if you really will save money is to weigh up the value of your time against the cost of a professional, who will also be able to complete the job more quickly and easily.

When you have identified the jobs you can do yourself, call in your friends to help. Put on a BBQ and make sure you have plenty of drinks, and invite your hardest working, most skilled friends to help you with digging, sanding, painting or pulling up turf. With a little help you’ll be able to get those jobs done in a day, rather than spending a week at them alone and while you will spend a little in food and drink as compensation for your friends, the cost won’t be any more than a regular weekend get together.

Cleverly Source Your Materials

As well as being able to reduce the carbon footprint of your renovation, looking at second-hand stores, garage sales and auctions for materials and furniture can save you huge amounts off the retail prices. You can start looking at your local salvage yards or demolition sites to find materials you can use in your renovation. You will probably come across a lot of reusable pavers, timbers and hardwood doors and windows or even a claw footed bath or a feature mantle piece.

Auction houses are also a good source of cheap building materials as many of the items are part of cancelled orders or are surplus stock from manufacturers, many of whom regularly sell discounted kitchen a bathroom units through auction houses. You can find advertisements in the weekend newspapers for auctions in your area.

You’ll also want to check out flea markets where you can find interesting furniture and materials to add character to your renovation for less. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is also a building supply store which resells new and used building materials such as paint, windows, light fixtures and hardware, and every purchase funds the Habitat for Humanity building programs.

Shop Your Home

When you live with your possessions and furniture day in and day out you stop seeing what you really have, but when you are renovating on a budget it is time to look at how you can use what you already have.

Start by de-cluttering your home as this will give you a clean slate to help you decide on the best new look and style for your space. As you’re sorting through your things you should sort them into four piles – keep, rubbish, donate and sell. In this way you may even be able to make a bit of extra cash from your unwanted possessions to add to your renovation budget.

Now take a look at what you’re left with and consider where you can breathe new life into it. For example is there anything you can paint, stain or add to? Is there curtain fabric you could turn into cushions, or is there an old dining table you could cut the legs off to turn into a coffee table or ottoman?

Note: Link to the Ted’s Woodworking is an affiliate link.

Photo Courtesy of Designed Outdoor Living