Planning a House Renovation? Save Money with These 11 Tips

A renovation is an excellent opportunity to change your life for the better. Making your home comfortable and beautiful is a grandiose mood booster. However, some people cringe at the thought of the upcoming work due to its cost.

Thankfully, a renovation doesn’t need to be expensive. We’ve come up with a few useful tips to help you get a brand new home without paying a full price for it.

1. Become Your Own Contractor

One of the highest paid jobs during a renovation is that of a contractor. If you are only renovating a couple of rooms rather than the entire house, you can do it without hiring such a specialist.

You can plan the scope of works on your own and hire subcontractors. This approach may take up a lot of your time but help save money. However, if you are planning a major renovation, it’s better to hire a contractor. An expert can save you time and, when it comes to big projects, money.

2. Be Smart About Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen furniture is usually expensive. Especially, the cabinets. Removing old ones is going to cost money. Installing new furniture will too. Instead of completely replacing your kitchen cabinets, consider refurbishing them.

The majority of kitchen furniture stays functional on the inside while losing its outside appeal. These days, numerous ways to brighten the cabinets’ exterior exist.

Simply repainting the cabinet doors can give your kitchen a brand new look. The best part about it is that you can do the entire job yourself.

3. Pay Attention While Shopping

When you shop for new lamps, appliances, and bathroom fixtures, pay special attention to the returned item section. Products that have tiny dents and scratches are usually surprisingly cheap.

Some damages are so insignificant, you can never notice them. Meanwhile, by buying such products, you can freshen up your home at a fraction of a price.

4. Plan Purchases in Advance

Since remodeling is usually not something that can’t wait, you may want to take it slow. Consider putting some purchases off until holiday sales. Labor Day, Christmas, Black Friday are an excellent opportunity to save some serious dough.

Before the holidays come, plan what you need to replace, and be ready to shop as soon as the sale begins.

5. Repaint Walls

While it may not seem to be an easy task, repainting walls on your own is possible without too much effort. A fresh coat of paint can turn your home into a brand new place. You can take painting one room at a time, dedicating a weekend to each of them.

Hiring specialists to repaint walls may save you time, but it’s an unnecessary expense, especially if you are on a tight budget. Numerous DIY wall painting videos and tips can be found online for your reference.

6. Ask for Advice

If you are hiring contractors or subcontractors, don’t hesitate to ask for their advice about saving money. According to Florida contractors at afsgeneralcontracting.com, it’s often possible to save on things an average homeowner has no idea about. For example, where to find the cheapest paint or how to save on laminate boards by choosing the least popular patterns.

So it never hurts to ask. An expert’s opinion can save you substantial amounts of money. After all, these specialists do renovation work every day and know all the ins and outs of this business.

7. Use Cash

You may be used to paying for everything with your credit card. But when it comes to renovations, it’s best to use the money you already have. When you pay by credit card, you may think you are saving while paying extra for interest.

Unless renovations are extremely urgent, it’s better to put them off until you have real money to spend on the work. This way you can have a clear picture of how much you are spending and saving.

8. Be Realistic about Your Skills

When it comes to renovating your home, you have to be truthful with yourself about what you can and can’t do. Remember, if you mess something up, it will be costlier to hire someone to fix it rather than enlist their help in the first place.

Another thing to consider is the time you are about to spend on DIY work. Would you earn more money than you save if you could go to work that day? Perhaps taking a day off work to complete renovation tasks is not such a grand idea.

9. Consider the Off-Season

If you want to hire contractors and sub-contractors, plan your work for the off-season. Usually, this time is after the holidays and before the summer. When contractors don’t have work piling up in front of them, they are much more likely to offer discounts.

Renovation jobs are often small. When the season is high, most contractors aren’t ready to give up larger projects to deal with something that takes a day or two. The off-season time may vary from state to state.

10.  Have a Clear Plan

Before you go shopping for materials and furniture, have a clear plan in mind. Many homeowners make a mistake of buying stuff they don’t really need only to have it clash with their initial plan.

If you stick to the plan, you can save a substantial amount of money by avoiding impulsive purchases.

Make all measurements twice. Don’t waste money on unnecessary paint or laminate boards.

11.  Play it Down

If you are on a tight budget, try to keep the large items in place. Don’t plan to move bathtubs, stoves, and a built-in wardrobe. Such renovations are usually costly and don’t have an immediate benefit.

Final Thoughts

Your upcoming renovation doesn’t need to be expensive. All you have to do is take it slow, make clear plans, and ask for help when necessary.