Renovating your home is normally considered an exercise in money saving.
If we’re being honest, most of us would rather not spend our precious free time making home improvements, but with the costs of private contractors an extravagance most of us can’t afford, sometimes it is necessary to get the old tool kit out of the shed and ‘Do It Yourself’.
However, mistakes can often mean the job ends up costing more than originally planned.
Sometimes, as these mistakes start to pile up, it would have been cheaper to call in the professionals and save yourself the time, effort and pain. This guide brought to you by the LMB Lofts team points out of some of the more common areas in which people spend excess money.
1. Ensure that you buy quality goods
Many people, in a bid to save money on projects, try to save money by buying cheap fixtures and paint, but these things are the bread and butter of the whole project; buying low quality in these areas is a gamble.
Whilst there is no guarantee that spending more money ensures quality, the known brands are normally such due to a reputation of being fit for purpose.
Take some time to research the brand you’re buying. After all, is a few pounds saved on screws or nails worth damaging a cabinet? Or a cheap pot of paint worth the savings if you end up needing to buy twice as much to get an even coat?
2. Consider buying a cheap skeleton and upgrading
When renovating fitted furnishings such as bathrooms and bedrooms, many people decide to pay more for expensive but stylish furniture carcasses when really the skeleton of the piece is often not on show.
Kitchen counters and fittings can be renovated by adding sturdy marble or wooden countertops and new handles, or – if the units you have are no longer serviceable – inexpensive ones can be picked up at local independent warehouses and then improved with the aid of additional features from higher end retailers.
Likewise, you may find it surprising how well a new mirror, internal fittings and handles can spruce up old fitted bedroom furniture.
3. Don’t snub unknown retailers
Whilst it is better to spend more money on certain things to ensure you receive quality, on others you are merely paying for the brand.
If you have found something that takes your fancy, whether it is a set of tiles for the bathroom or a period-relevant set of doors, shop around. Online sites and small local warehouses have a fraction of the costs to pay as large businesses, and therefore can sell the same or very similar goods cheaply. Ebay, too, can be useful for getting these goods at a fraction of the cost. Older, marked furnishings can always be spruced up with a little bit of hard work, potentially saving you hundreds.
4. Don’t be afraid to call in the professionals
Finally, some jobs are best left for the professionals, and trying them yourself could end up costing you many times what it would have cost to call someone out, even potentially damaging your house as well as, in some cases, putting yourself in danger. These include anything involving gas works, bricklaying, plastering and electrical work.