A few budget tweaks can be all you need to spruce up your home
If the current economic climate is making you feel nervous about taking on a full renovation, a tickle up of what you’ve already got, or can pick up affordably, will breathe new life into your home.
Inside your home
Mouldy bathrooms
Nothing looks more gross than a mouldy shower – but before you rip it out, consider replacing the mouldy silicone instead. This will require you to skip using it for a few days but it’ll be worth it to get some fresh new silicone in. Same goes for the silicone around your bath, vanity, basin sink or anywhere else you can find it.
Watermarked tapware
If your tapware is looking cloudy and old, give it a new lease of life with a copper cloth and some cleaning paste. Chrome tapware, in particular, can look grim after a while, but with some elbow grease and the right products you can get it looking shiny and new again.
Modernise light fittings
It’s surprising what a can of metal primer and some enamel will do to a light fitting. Bathroom or kitchen fixtures that were once chrome and are now gold, white, black or any other colour you can think
of, can transform a space. Swapping out pendant shades can also elevate ceiling lights and can be done cheaply. Opt for something like a paper lantern shade – these are neutral in appearance and suit most homes.
Upcycle furniture
Sanding thick dark stain off furniture can transform it. If Scandinavian vibes are on your hit list, then an orbital sander and some natural clear oil are all you need. Not only can you pick up solid timber pieces of furniture for a fraction of the price of new, they will also be significantly better quality than cheap mass-produced options and stand the test of time. If warm oak timber is not your thing, consider a white-wash oil for a slightly more beachy look.
Steam clean or replace
A thorough clean can do as much for your carpets as it does for your tapware. Hiring a steam cleaner or outsourcing this to a professional is a great option for extending the life of your carpet – especially if it was originally good quality, such as wool, but has had decades of use and is looking a bit sad. If your carpet is beyond repair, then polishing existing floorboards is often more cost-effective than a recarpet. Or leave them as is and buy some rugs off Marketplace to buy yourself some time.
Create cohesion
Sometimes all it takes to give your home a spruce up is a little bit of cohesion. This can be done by installing uniform window treatments in each room, or other common elements such as artwork with a similar undertone, timber furniture of a similar colour, or consistent hardware, such as door knobs and window latches. There’s a surprising number of ready-made curtains on the market these days, even linen options with polycotton lining. If it’s not quite right, simply buying curtain fabric and having it hemmed to the right length is a pretty good option. Reusing existing tracks and hooks will save you money – they can sometimes be the most expensive part depending on your choice of curtain fabric.
Don’t underestimate painting
If you’ve never painted a house before, you can be forgiven for not knowing what an incredible impact it can have on a space. Even just the paint prep such as cleaning walls, finishing lines and filling and sanding holes can make a big impact. Start with your ceilings, then your finishing lines; if nothing else, these alone will likely be the same colour throughout your home and help with cohesion. Come back to the walls if you don’t have the time or money to do them initially. It is worth investing in quality
paint and equipment to help elevate the finish, though.
Partially replace
Get savvy with how far you take your renovation. Painting your kitchen cabinets, replacing knobs and pulls and polishing your benchtop might be all it takes to change the feel of your kitchen. Painting floor tiles in a bathroom, along with replacing mouldy silicone and polishing tapware is a great way to give your bathroom a refresh – replace just the basin, mirror and toilet seat if they are a bit worn. There’s no need to replace everything – you’d be surprised what you can reduce down in order to stretch your budget.
Outside your home
An acid wash of your roof rather than a replacement; a waterblast of your exterior rather than a paint; and a weed/trim of your gardens and lawn instead of ripping it all out can do wonders for the exterior of your home. It’s all about first impressions and clean, tidy and well-kept goes a long way. If you do have a little bit of spare change to spend, consider a new letterbox, a pop of colour on your front door, a new outdoor light, or a couple of immaculate pot plants for the porch – it’s all about street appeal.
Words by: Jen Jones
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