When I was a kid, I had a friend whose family was super rich. While this didn’t affect the way he acted towards others and had no real impact on our friendship, the one display of their wealth was in their constant home renovations.
As soon as one project was done, another would begin. Because of this, along with the fact that my parents never maintained or renovated their home, I grew up believing that renovations were for rich people.
My parents’ attitude that home renovations were something better left to when money was available led to a number of consequences. The sixty-plus-year-old house we lived in got progressively more decayed.
Doors stopped closing properly and furniture became uncomfortable. It was no way to live. It turns out that renovations are not a luxury reserved for rich people but something that every house needs.
My parents are not the only people to neglect their home like this. Most homeowners leave renovations for a time when they “have money,” even though they want to make improvements now.
The good news is that with some DIY projects for home, you can do renovations on a budget. Follow the best DIY tips and your home will reflect your unique creativity.
Upcycle to avoid hoarding
Nothing ages a home more than junk. When you see a lot of junk lying around, in closets or storerooms and throughout the house, you immediately get a sense of decay. Yet you might not be ready to let go of certain items.
My father couldn’t bear to let us discard even the most useless junk, leading to parts of every room becoming storage for goods we would never use again. It is in these cases that upcycling becomes particularly useful.
Upcycling at its best takes junk that no one wants and turns it into something beautiful. Instead of old rubbish lying around, you can create decor for your home. You can use old containers for kitchen storage, old tools for musical instruments, and old ladders for planters.
Before long, you will have transformed your junk into unique treasures unlike anything your neighbors have, and you won’t have spent much.
These renovations will make extra space in the home, light up your rooms, and save you money in the process. If you find that you are especially good at upcycling, you can even sell your goods online for a tidy profit.
Fix up the garden
One of the most unfortunate aspects of my parents’ home was the big garden that had become ugly and disused. One particular tree had grown to be unwieldy and prevented the grass from growing properly.
My parents couldn’t afford fancy year-round grass solutions, and this lovely space became yet another part of the home which brought down its aesthetic value rather than raising it.
A great garden can uplift your entire home, giving budding gardeners a chance to shine and kids a great place to play. Fixing up the garden should be high on your priorities.
This does not need to involve buying expensive plants. By dedicating time, you can ensure your grass keeps growing and that trees don’t become overgrown.
Even if you have a tiny garden, it should not be an afterthought. On the contrary, you can create a simple herb garden that not only gives you aesthetic joy but also provides sustainable produce.
The trick is to use DIY projects to create gorgeous planters and to decorate your garden. Without spending much money, you can build a raised garden or a simple garden wall that elevates your yard.
As long as you pay attention to your plants, they will continue to provide joy for the foreseeable future.
Create statement pieces
One of the best things about DIY projects for the home is that they are truly unique. What you create won’t be found in popular stores, and so your home will look different in a way that reflects you. When you’re working on a budget, you can use this to your advantage.
My parents bought new furniture once every decade at most. They bought fancy living room sets, cool dining room chairs, and gorgeous wooden tables. These items looked great for a while but pretty quickly got old and worn.
Instead, they could have spent less money on simple furnishings that lasted and could be replaced when disused.
While a minimalistic design is perfect as a means for saving money while renovating your home, you don’t want it to look like you just can’t afford anything more. This is where your DIY skills come in.
By incorporating statement pieces, the minimalist aspect appears purposeful, bringing everything together. It doesn’t even need to be a particularly big statement. A pop of color can be all it takes to add that freshness to any room.
Learn basic maintenance skills
One of the reasons my parents’ home became so broken down was that any maintenance was left to contractors. My parents did not really know how to do any maintenance themselves.
They had never learned these skills when they were young and assumed it was something you either had or did not.
If they had simply put some time (and a little bit of money) into learning basic carpentry and DIY skills, among other maintenance staples. A door with rusted hinges never needs to be an unsolvable problem without bringing in an expert.
Scuffed wooden floors don’t need teams of experts to polish. A broken beloved piece of furniture can be glued back together by any amateur with a commitment to learning.
Maintenance is the bare minimum you need to do for your house. If you leave maintenance for when you have money, your house will fall apart and it will take a lot more time and money to fix it.
Renovating is not only for those with disposable wealth to spare. On the contrary, with some DIY projects you can uplift your home according to your vision.