Cost Effective Ways To Renovate Your Home

Renovating your home can be quite expensive, especially if you have to pay someone to do the labour for you. Labour costs can be very high, so hiring someone to do the renovations for you may be out of the question. Instead of spending money on the high costs of labour, try doing the work yourself and limit your expenses to the cost of materials. For homeowners who are handy, there are some cost effective ways to renovate your home. Try these low cost renovating ideas, which are sure to increase your property value.

Pay Attention to the Exterior of the Home

Although there are many cost effective ways to renovate your home, start with the exterior of the house. The exterior is the one part of the house everyone can see, so fixing it up not only increases the property value of your home, but it may also get others in your area to do the same, which means that the property value of a whole neighbourhood or community could go up, too. Low cost ways of renovating the exterior of your home include the following ideas.

Change the paint

Paint any siding, trim, windows, or doors to give the exterior a fresh look. Using clean, white paint will freshen up an outdated exterior while choosing bright paint colours can make a house stand out more from the landscape. Paint is a low cost way to make a big impact.

Fix the garden

Another low cost renovation idea is to redo your landscaping and garden. This involves more labour on your part than it does money for materials. Get rid of old shrubs, trees, and plants that may cause your landscape to look dull and unkempt. Plant new trees, bushes, and flowers that add pops of colour to the yard while creating visual interest in the area, too. This renovation project only costs what you spend on plants.

Flooring

With so many cost effective ways to renovate the inside of your home, it can be difficult to know where to even start. Begin your interior renovations by ripping out your old flooring and installing new flooring. Most homeowners are able to complete this project without the help of a contractor, which saves money on labour costs.

In fact, the only cost associated with this project will be the cost of the flooring you choose to install. There are many flooring options on the market that range from low cost ideas to very expensive ones. Choose a flooring material that fits into your budget. Laminate hardwood floors and inexpensive ceramic tiles are low cost choices that instantly update a space and look great. Some low cost flooring renovations can make any room of the house look better.

Rip out the old or dated carpet in the main living area, hallways, and bedrooms. Replace the carpet with hardwood floors to get a polished and modern look. Pull up the laminate floors in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry areas. Replace the laminate floors with beautiful tile. This will make these spaces feel fresh and new again.

Take out Walls

One low cost renovation project that many homeowners can do themselves is to take out a wall. Taking out a wall between rooms can open up a space and make the room feel more inviting. For example, if your kitchen is closed off from the rest of the house, consider knocking down a wall to open the kitchen to the dining room. This will give the renovated space a more contemporary feel and make the spaces brighter.

Add an Outdoor Living Space

One low cost idea for renovating your home is to add an outdoor living space. This is a cheaper way to add useable square footage to a home instead of adding extra rooms. Creating an outdoor space can also add to a home's property value, as many families want larger outdoor areas.

You really need to consider the space you have, and work with that space to make an outdoor room that fits into your home's overall design scheme.

What you should include

* Add a porch covering, extend the roof, or build a pergola to create some shade in the area.
* Add a floor by putting in pavers or bricks on the ground or even by pouring concrete.
* Add comfortable furniture for lounging outdoors as well as for eating outside.
* Add a grill and a small refrigerator to create the perfect area to cook, too.

Speak to the right people

Following these cost effective ways to renovate will reduce the expense of your home improvements and are relatively easy for you to do. They add great value at low cost.