Our homes might just be the most important buildings in our lives. That’s where you create valuable memories with the people you love, where you see your kids grow up and do amazing things, and where you get to be yourself completely. As you and your family grow, your needs and wants change over time. That means that a certain style and layout of your home isn’t going to be sufficient forever. Your home should grow and develop with you so that it can always meet new needs and standards set by your family.
Renovating is easier said than done, though. Not only do you need a lot of time and effort to pull something like that off, but you also need a lot of money. When you’ve got a growing family, home renovations never seem to make it into the budget, as there are many other more important things to take care of. Luckily, there are ways to decorate and renovate your home on a budget. All you need is a little creativity and some guidance to pull it off.
1. Update the kid’s room
The kids are always growing and their rooms should be too. The most difficult part of the house to renovate is definitely the kid’s room as you know you’ll just have to renovate it again in a few years. Your kid is going through different developmental periods, and they’re just discovering who they are as people. As a result, their interests change often, and you never know if you’ve nailed the room just right. So as not to completely overstep your budget every time you have to redecorate your kid’s room, try updating only the simple details.
Invest in high-quality furniture in the beginning, so you’re sure it will last them a lifetime. Then simply change the rest according to their age. It’s much easier, more convenient, and cheaper to replace the sheets and give them something more age-appropriate than it is to change the whole room. You can also update the carpet and the clock, or get them a bigger desk chair. These details may not seem like much, but they’ll give a whole new vibe to the bedroom. You could also simply rearrange the furniture to shape the room in a whole different way.
This way, you’re only spending as much as you have to, but you’re still giving your child a room they’ll be happy to spend time in. Of course, make sure to involve your child in these changes and let them express themselves through the details and décor pieces in their room.
2. Do something in each room
Each room surely has something about it that you don’t like. Well, it probably has more than one thing that you would like to change. Because of the budget, it’s impossible to change all of those things at once in each room. You could just put all the money towards fixing up one room entirely, but that doesn’t get you much. Your goal is to refresh your home completely, not just partially. This is why you should change only one thing in every room. Choose the thing that annoys you most or you think is most urgent. Is it the colour? A leak? Old furniture? Tacky and outgrown décor? Change it!
The rooms may not be fixed up entirely, but they’ll be on the right track. You’ll be giving yourself a beginning of a true home makeover, one item at a time. When walking around your house, you’ll have something new to admire and marvel at in each room. You also won’t hate the other rooms and want to spend time only in one, as the case would have been if you only renovated one room completely. Most importantly, this approach gives you hope that it’s not over for your house. You can still bring it back to life, and even though it may take some time, it will be worth it. The potential of the space will be much more obvious and fun to think about.
3. Upgrade your appliances
One other idea is to put your budget completely towards upgrading your appliances. If you’ve got an old oven, no coffee maker, and a TV from the last century, it’s time for a change. Technology advances more each year so it’s a shame to opt for appliances that don’t match the standards of modern technology. As well as being up to date, you’ll also make life much easier for yourself. You won’t have to wait as long for something to cook, you’ll get better colour and sound on your TV, and you won’t have to spend ages in the morning making yourself a cup of coffee.
You should invest in high-quality appliances from trusted brands, as they are less likely to malfunction and break. Their lifespan will be much longer, too. In a way, high-quality appliances pay themselves off as the years go by because they save you a lot of time and money. As most new and technologically advanced appliances are also energy-efficient, you’ll also be greener, waste less energy, and have much lower bills.
4. Play with tiles
Tiles are the perfect material for kitchens and bathrooms. They’re even suitable for balconies and some hallways. You already probably have tiles in your home, but when was the last time you changed them? The style you have now might be cute, but you’ll benefit much more from changing the tiles you have in your home. Don’t be afraid to get creative, either. Instead of just replacing the old and cracked tiles with new ones, you can give your bathroom and kitchen a complete makeover.
Change the colour of the tiles, the style, and even make patterns. Using more than one colour could give you a modern and fancy look for a very low amount of money. Contrasts are best for such effects. For example, you could create all sorts of wonders with black and white in your bathroom, or beige and red in your kitchen. The tiles that are on floors could even match throughout the whole place. This gives your home a unique vibe and ties all the rooms together. The rest of the details in the room could match one of the colours you chose and make the place really pop.
5. Focus on the floors
You could spend all your money decorating and renovating without feeling like your home has improved even a smidge. If you can’t afford to completely renovate, it’s best to focus on the most important thing: the floors. You don’t even realize how much the floors influence the way you perceive the room. If the floors are wooden, the room will feel warmer and cozier. Tile is cold and sterile, while carpeted floors inspire fuzzy feelings.
Even if you don’t have money to replace the floors, you can still redecorate. One idea is to re-polish them and give them back their old shine. Another one is to decorate with mats and carpets. You won’t have to spend a lot to invest in a swanky new carpet for the living room, or non-slip mat for the kitchen. The carpet should match the colour of the details in the room so as to tie the whole place together. Every room will benefit from the addition of a carpet or mat, especially those with heavy traffic. Floors wear out more easily and quickly when they’re unprotected with people constantly walking there. Having a carpet or a mat could be a great way to protect the areas with high traffic and prolong the life of your floors.
6. Add new lights
Changing your lamps doesn’t seem like a big renovating project, but makes all the difference. You’re probably used to the lights you have at home and don’t realize how drab they make your environment look. Searching for new and better lighting is always an excellent idea. Lamps, regardless of if they’re standing, desk, or hanging, shape rooms more than you can imagine. This is especially true when you take the light bulbs into consideration.
The way you light up a room can change its aura and atmosphere. For a more romantic and fairytale setting, you can always introduce fairy lights. They’re a great fit for the bedroom. If you want a more luxurious and elegant atmosphere in the living room, all you have to do is introduce some swanky LED lights. Even LED strips are available, so you can create an even more luxurious and fancy atmosphere.
7. Change the colour
When you don’t have enough money to completely renovate the place, you can muster up enough to change the colour. This will completely refresh the home and give it a whole new look. As well as that, you’ll be doing your walls huge favour. The colour you have now may have looked awesome when it was first painted it, but over the years, the walls are likely to have got dirty and the colour to have faded.
You can just paint a fresh layer of the same colour, but where’s the fun in that? Experiment with different colours, find your perfect match and give the room a new life. You can choose your colour according to the way it affects your mood, or you can simply go with the one that goes best with the interior. Yellow inspires joy and happiness, green is associated with growth, and blue will provide you with a deep sense of calm. Whatever colour you decide to choose for your living room or bedroom, it’s bound to transform your home into something completely new and amazing.
8. Take out a loan
Renovating on a budget is fine if you don’t have a huge project you need to take care of. Sometimes, renovations happen because they simply need to if the home is going to remain functional. For example, if the roof is old and damaged, it will need restoration and there’s not a question about it. The same goes for urgent bathroom repairs and modifications to the kitchen. In these cases, budgeting isn’t really an option. It’s necessary to make the budget bigger so that you can afford high-quality services.
As you’re not the only person who suffers from such a fate, you’ll be happy to know that a lot of low rate personal online loans are available. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you’ll get the money you need to renovate your home and restore it to its old shine. You won’t have to fear about the roof leaking or collapsing, nor about the kitchen and bathroom malfunctioning further.
9. Don’t forget about the yard
Last but definitely not least, you can’t forget about the yard. This is the perfect place for your family to socialize, laugh together, bond, and just enjoy nature. You’ll want to make sure that your home is family and kid-friendly though.
The best way to do this is to introduce garden activities that the whole family will enjoy. Start growing vegetables together, make your own décor, or build a structure you’ll all get to enjoy. All of these ideas are budget-friendly and will involve the whole family. This way, everyone will have a personal and emotional connection to the yard, meaning they’ll all love spending time in it. You can even plant a family tree together as a symbol of togetherness, love, and stability. The tree will stand the tests of time and prove that a family stays together regardless of what life brings your way.
Final thoughts…
With these tips, you’ll get a much more appealing home that supports your family’s needs, wants, and preferences. Every family member will have their own space in the house, tailored specifically to them. With these tips, you’re bound to give your family the home it deserves. It may be a lot of hassle and you may need to put some extra time and effort into renovating, but you’ll love the final result.
About the Author
Stella Ryne is an art historian, traveller, conscious consumer and a proud mother. When she is not trying to improve the things around her (and herself, for that matter), she likes to lose herself in a good book. Stay in touch with Stella via Twitter and Facebook.
Did you like this article? Then pin it!