In today’s housing market, many people find themselves more inclined to remain in their homes rather than move when they are ready for some change. Instead, more and more, home owners are looking to update their existing homes, but are at a loss as to how to go about renovating, especially when aiming to keep on a tight budget.
The key to renovating a home without breaking the bank is creativity and patience. You need to search for ways to make what is old, new again. Make use of garage and yard sales. You may find a beautiful coffee or kitchen table, shelves, lamps, or even more. Do research and see if there are any places to buy salvaged or surplus building materials. While these types of stores are excellent places to find antique styles and decent used materials, you can even sometimes get lucky and find brand new items for a fraction of the cost of a regular home improvement store.
For wood items that you find in garage sales or in your own home, do not be afraid of scratches. Most surface scratches can be hidden with the use of wood polishes. If the scratches run a bit deeper, and you either have some experience or else are feeling ambitious, try sanding down the surface and re-staining it. This will give the wood a smooth, finished look, and re-staining it will give you an opportunity to better coordinate the colors of your furniture.
For other furniture, such as couches and chairs, make use of couch covers and similar accessories to make worn out furniture look new. Also consider using accent blankets draped along the back or throw pillows to help complete the look. In living rooms and bed rooms, accent lamps can add light as well as style, and can be found for decent prices for those willing to shop around.
Floors are also common areas for people to look to improve in their homes. Hardwood floors are stunning, but over the years get scuffed up and their age starts to show. Re-sanding floors yourself can be very difficult and time consuming, and is not recommended for the amateur home renovator. Unfortunately, paying someone to do it can be quite costly. If neither option is in your repertoire of skills or budget, consider investing in a couple area rugs and hallway runners. These will serve you well by covering up many scratches, drawing the eye away from those that remain, and helping to protect the floors from further damage until the floors can be fully repaired.
If your floors are carpeted, begin by deep cleaning your carpet, either professionally or renting a machine yourself. You may be surprised by what you can actually get out of the carpet. If your carpet remains rather beat up looking, you have a couple of options. You can try the area rug idea mentioned above using complimentary colors and designs. Unfortunately, one or two well-placed accenting area rugs looks nice – carpet layered on top of carpet everywhere in the house does not. If using an occasional accent rug does not do the trick, consider ripping out the carpet and putting in laminate flooring, resilient flooring, or something similar. These materials are designed to look just like hardwood, but are a fraction of the cost, and can even be installed by the homeowner with a steady hand and patience. They can be found at local hardwood stores and specialized flooring stores, remember to watch for sales!
One of the oldest tricks in making a room look like new again is repainting the walls. When researching the color scheme that would work best for your home, make use of color samples. In all the painting I have done in my house, I have never seen a color actually match what is shown on the color sheet. Samples also give you the opportunity to put multiple colors next to each other to see how well they match each other and the colors you already have in the room.
For home renovation success, challenge yourself. Many home improvement stores offer free classes to learn how to do common renovation tasks, so take advantage of them. Read home construction magazines for ideas and tips about how to fix, install, and improve common household items. These magazines also help you stay updated about the latest in home design, and may spark an original idea for you while you renovate your home. Remember, the more tasks you can complete yourself, the more money you will save. Additionally, the project will be completed exactly how you envisioned it to look, and it will give you a sense of confidence and accomplishment each time you see it.
There are projects that require professionals. If your home improvement project includes such a task, shop around. Many contractors will offer you free in-home estimates, so call and get a variety of numbers. Do not hire just anybody. You want someone with experience and satisfied customers, so read reviews, talk to friends about who they used, ask for recommendations. When you decide upon a contractor, be as specific about the project as you can, and oversee it. Outline a budget beforehand. Ask for frequent updates about progress and materials used.
House renovation can be an exciting and challenging time. Whether using a professional contractor or completing projects yourself, living with the messes created and unforeseen problems can be frustrating and straining. Instead of viewing renovations as a chore, try to see them as an opportunity to learn new skills and be creative. With the housing market slow to improve, we are likely to see a continued increase in people renovating their own homes. Hopefully here you found some tips for when you look to begin your own project. Homes are to be places where we can find solace, designing and updating them how we desire can help us find that desired peace.