Buying and renovating a home can seem overwhelming even under the best circumstances. Throw in a couple of kids, and things get even crazier, especially if you’re trying to keep your home renovations under a strict budget while doing most of the work yourself.
Below are some tips to help smooth out your renovations if you’re looking to do some remodeling on an apartment or house while sticking to a family-friendly budget.
- Make a list of what’s most important, and decide what can wait. Doing things piecemeal, when appropriate, will allow you to save more between projects.
- Outline the projects the kids can help with. Most times, kids actually like doing new things, but can become frustrated when they’re constantly told “no” or “don’t do it like that.” As an example, if you are trying to refurnish the bedroom furniture, consider asking your children if they’d be interested in sanding and painting while you paint the walls.
- Don’t assume that only expensive options are the best options. Many affordable options are actually better in the long run. For example, bathroom PVC wall panels are watertight, easy to clean, and require no maintenance. Tile, on the other hand, is only as watertight as the grout surrounding it, which can break, mold, or crack, letting water through. And no, they don’t just come in white. You can find options to mimic marble, sparkly ones for a galaxy style kids bathroom, and every style in between. The benefit of opting for less expensive but high-quality options is that if you feel like renovating ten years down the road, you won’t feel guilty for the money spent earlier.
- Do small renovations. For easy modernisation, replace doorknobs with fresh up-to-date ones, or simply replace the kitchen faucet. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much change one small thing can evoke.
- While doing small projects can be great, make sure that your vision doesn’t falter while you work towards a bigger goal. If you have grandiose ideas of matching your kitchen to a piece of art you’ve created to hang in your own home, make sure your vision stays the course and continually builds towards the look you’re going for. When you lose sight of your vision, you’ll simply want to re-do the work already done later one, which is less than budget-friendly.
- Keep clean while working. Easier said than done, but by keeping things organized and clean, you’ll have fewer accidents and misplace fewer things. There are few things more maddening than purchasing a second unnecessary screwdriver when you just know there’s one somewhere in the mess of renovations.
- Keep your home measurements handy. Even if you won’t have time to refinish all your floors at once, or install all your bathroom cabinetry over a weekend, if the styles that you like are on sale, you’ll have your measurements easily available in case you want to purchase the correct-sized sinks, flooring and other necessities for your home.
- Finally, and most importantly, have patience! Renovating can be overwhelming, but being disheartened or upset will lead to mistakes and extra money spent.
Have you tackled home renovations or big DIY jobs as a family?
This is a collaborative post
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