With property prices on the rise, if you're thinking of moving home, sprucing up your home can help maximise its sale potential. Even if booming house prices and selling up aren't your priorities, making refurbishments can give your home a much-needed makeover, creating a new look and feel. If money is tight, there are still plenty of ways to give your home a facelift.
Seek out a bargain
If you're in line for a new kitchen or bathroom, this can quickly blow the roof off your budget, but there are ways to slash the costs. Keep your eyes open for sales and discounts, ex-display models or discontinued ranges. There's also no shame in seeking out second-hand items from friends or family who are replacing their own units.
Pre-loved items
You can pay a fraction of the price for home items at charity stores, junk shops, car boot sales or reclamation yards, so get thrifty and scour for things that look at home in your home. You can often find some unique, great quality items at a minimal price.
Upcycle
Consider ways you could upcycle, or give new purpose to things, when refurbishing your home. Perhaps an old wooden box could be rehashed into a small coffee table, or a dated ladder could be given a lick of paint to make useful bathroom wall shelving?
Colour change
One of the most effective ways to freshen up your home is to give it a lick of paint. Paint doesn't come cheap, however, so ask friends or family if they have any half-opened tins of paint at the back of their garage that they're unlikely to ever use again. You could end up painting your home for next to nothing.
Get clued up on DIY
You could save money doing certain DIY tasks yourself, rather than paying for the professionals. Obviously, the important thing is that you know what you're doing for a safe and great-looking job. Read manuals or view tutorials online to get the know-how for undertaking basic DIY tasks. If you need any tools or equipment and don't have the spare money to buy them, borrow from friends or family.
Focus on small details
If your kitchen or bathroom is looking outdated and is in need of a facelift, a total, costly refurbishment may not be required in order to give it a more modern look and feel. Focus on upgrading small details first, such as adding new cupboard handles or doorknobs, changing bathroom taps or replacing window blinds. Small changes can have an extraordinary effect, that doesn't have to eat into your meagre budget.
Reorganise rather than renovate
If you need to renovate or extend your home because you lack space, there could be a cheaper solution. Simply reorganising your furniture, tackling clutter and making wise storage options could provide you with the extra space you crave, without having to go to the unnecessary expense of calling the builders in.
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