Although home remodeling is exciting, it can be extremely pricey. Sometimes your approved credit will not even be enough to cater to all your renovation needs and that can be very frustrating. All the fancy floor, post-modern appliances, and upscale fixtures that you have in mind might end up being nothing more than a pipedream. That is why before you start fantasizing about your remodeled house, it is important that you have a little bit of up-front planning. You need to make the right purchases and general renovation choices in order to get the best value for your money.
From the onset, it is imperative to note that the cost of materials and labor creeps up quickly once home renovations kickoff. They both can sometimes feel like a money drain especially when operating on a tight budget. With that in mind, we have prepared a list of 5 home renovation choices that can help you save big in your upcoming remodeling project. They include:
1. Apply wallpaper
The impact of beautiful wallpaper in an enclosed space can never be overemphasized. The good thing is that you can install new wallpaper in your house with a budget of as little as $300 per room. And because it is easy to follow the wallpaper manufacturer’s instructions during the installation process, you can always do it on your own. Wallpaper glue is also cheap and safe to use and in some cases, the wallpaper will come with adhesive already applied to them so your job will be easy-peasy.
If your budget is very tight, you can install wallpaper to just a couple of walls or simply add a border at the top, bottom, or middle of each wall in a given room. As part of your home decorations plan for the end of the year, you can consider buying a Christmas wall art canvas for your living room.
2. Consider vinyl siding
Your home renovation plans should factor in ways of cutting heating costs. One way of doing this is renovating the exterior siding of your home. A good siding should be able to resist bad weather elements and keep the interiors warm even during cold seasons. Although there are many siding options to choose from, vinyl siding is the most preferred by many homeowners. This option is attractive and offers your home long-lasting protection. Extreme climates such as high temperatures, hail, and strong winds will not destroy your siding. That’s without forgetting that vinyl has the ability to repel moisture as well as pests such as wasps and termites. And because it does not corrode, rust, split, or warp, you can be sure that it has the least maintenance costs.
3. Leverage the sun
Proper lighting is critical to your home decoration plan. To achieve maximum interior lighting without breaking the bank, you should consider natural lighting as your primary lighting source during the day. Make sure that there are enough windows on the east side so as to optimize the amount of sunlight that comes in during the morning hours. Also, install windows on the west side in order to allow as much sunlight as possible during the evening hours. If possible, add a couple of windows on the north in order to cater to cross-ventilation in the summer months.
4. Focus on the kitchen and the bathroom
For some strange reasons, the kitchens and bathrooms are the key motivating factors for many renovation projects. They seem to always be in dire need of expensive renovations. They always seem outdated. Perhaps this is due to their undisputed status of being the most important features of any modern home.
Because you will need to renovate your bathroom and kitchen no matter how hard you try to resist the temptation, it is important that you figure out a way of doing so without overstretching your budget. One way of doing this is by using large granite tiles for the floors and walls. These tiles are cheaper and more durable. For the kitchen countertops, marble or polished concrete are your cheapest options. And if you wish to facelift your bathtubs or showers, you can consider re-glazing them.
5. Do some of the work yourself
Doing some of the work before engaging a professional will go a long way in saving you a few dollars. If you are renovating your house roof, for example, you can remove the old roof on your own and only call in the installer to install the new roof. If you have the time to arrange the disposal of debris and old items after renovation work, go ahead and do it.
Conclusion
As we have established, it is essential to plan thoroughly for your home renovation project before you start spending. Having a proper budget and knowing exactly what you want will help you make the right choices and get the most value for your money. The 5 tips above will help you with the planning.