While a home renovation is nice, it can often leave money fears for the owner. The normal rule of thumb is to leave an approximate 20 percent cushion for surprises that can go wrong with your dwelling. Unfortunately, with a looming recession and a tight budget, it can be difficult to do so. The following tips allow you the chance to refurbish your home without having to cut back on many of your dreams.
Boost Efficiency Instead of Size
Even the tiniest of homes can cost a lot of money when it comes to renovating. If you can equip your kitchen space with the highest amount of utility and reorganize, you can probably skip knocking down walls to get more square footage out of your living space. If you have shelving units that are taking up space, replace the materials with cabinets where the drawers pull out. This allows you to house canned goods, pots, pans and other kitchen essentials.
Add Natural Light without New Windows or Doors
If you’re a homeowner looking to repair or renovate your dwelling, renovation loans obtained through a lending institution can provide you with funds to make the necessary improvements. However, before you cut larges holes in your siding or brick, and you have to rearrange your exterior framing, there are less invasive options. One of the least expensive methods to capture light is by updating your lighting fixtures and rethinking your blinds and window treatments. The natural light can even warm up your dwelling when it’s cold outside.
Choose the Recycling or Thrift Centers
In order to keep costs down and stay within your allotted budget, you may want to hit up your recycling or thrift centers for household materials. Building materials can be readily salvaged at half the prices. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you’ll be able to save substantially both in materials and labor. Items you may want to shop for include skylights, insulation, pre-hung doors, windows, floorboards, tile and wood. You can also look around your dwelling and put to use materials that may have been left over from a fence that was constructed, deck or patio. You can also repurpose furniture, fabric and other materials left unused in your dwelling.
Donate Your Used Goods
A total home renovation can brighten up your home and give it a much needed update. However, what do you do with the items and materials that you no longer need? There are places such as Habitat’s ReUse programs that will come in and collect the items you no longer need. From cabinets and bathtubs to wood beams and insulation, you’ll be able to save landfill space and take advantage of some much needed tax credits as the items go to a charitable organization. Plus, you’ll be helping those less fortunate with the materials that you’ve donated.
DIY Demo
Knocking down walls and sprucing up the rooms in your home shouldn’t cost as much as if you would rebuild or change the sizes of a dwelling. However, you can still save even more money when you do a lot of the demolition on your own. Before you proceed, you want to handle the project with care and do thorough research at the start. Simple tasks such as deck demoing, repainting, removing gutters or repairing siding, can be easily done if you take the time to research the tasks first. If you’re looking into changing your interior space or installing new electrical, these projects may be best to left with the professionals. Any areas where you can save money can be friendly to your budget and afford you the chance to spend money on accessories that will accent and enhance your home.
These are just a few tips on saving money when renovating your home. With a little research and patience, a lot of more is possible.
