DIY Renovating - Do It Yourself

Nothing is as satisfying as completing a project, especially one that will bring you more money in the future.

And that is DIY renovating!

We all hear about the property market & how the ups & downs allow for great profits in buying a ‘renovators delight’ and selling it on at a higher price. But these stories tend to leave out the blood, sweat & tears that comes with the makeover to entice those ‘would-be’ buyers. But before I put you off doing stuff around the home, I agree that the satisfaction of the finished product is well worth the stiff back & beads of sweat (especially in this temperature spike). Houses typically keep their looks for years, so also making your mark on a house is almost like cutting out your own piece of history in the home & saying this is who we are & what we like! Especially when doing up your family abode, this is essential to make your house your home.

So where do you start? If you are new at the Do-It-Yourself home renovating, then start small. Maybe pick a feature wall to repaint or start with the gardens at the front of the house. But wherever you begin, ask for professional advice.

Seek Advice

There are many people in the industry that are happy to help you with advice. You will probably run into these people at the hardware store or the garden shop. Use their brains! They can sometimes have years of professional experience & could save you a costly mistake. Also don’t be afraid to research your chosen project. YouTube has plenty of video clips on how to do almost everything, so do your homework if you are unsure.

Tackle only what you are comfortable with

You may have a massive house that needs insulation, painting, a kitchen reno & re-flooring. Pick the parts that you think you can complete comfortably. If you are terrified of heights, don’t paint your gutters, if you hate enclosed spaces don’t get into the floor cavity. Work to your strengths but be willing to learn. I’ve heard that if you think you have 70% of the knowledge & go to do something, then do it. The other 30% will come along the way. Unless it’s dangerous!

If it’s dangerous, call a professional

Most tradies complete apprenticeships & go through years of training to ensure that they know what they’re doing. Unless you are a tradie, you don’t have that info. Sometimes it is just safer & more cost effective to hire a tradesperson. This is true of most structural, electrical & plumbing work. These are not things you want to mess with & legally a qualified tradesperson has to sign off on these types of works. But be aware of other trades out there that can help you in areas where you are stuck, such as hiring a painter for your gutters if you are afraid of heights, or an Interior Designer if you don’t know what colours of finishes will look the best. Alternately you could keep your DIY to furniture restoration & hire professionals to complete most of the work, but it may be costly.

Spend money to potentially make money

But the most important thing to understand is that you will have to spend money to potentially make money on your house. DIY-ing can be more cost effective than hiring professional tradespeople if you do it right (or right enough to get through), but it will cost you for materials & tools that the tradies have, but you don’t. This may leave you with a garage full of bits & pieces that have hurt the hip pocket before you are able to recoup the cost of the renovation. Most of people’s renovation budgets go over their expected cost by on average of 20% so be mindful of extras & budget accordingly. However don’t skimp! You may regret saving $70 on a cheaper ceiling fan that is noisy & doesn’t cool you down. A coat of paint is usually the most cost effective alteration for a home as it can drastically alter the overall look & feel of a home, so this is usually where people start. Also know where to stop. You can easily drop hundreds of thousands of dollars into houses, so be smart about what will give you the best benefit for the outlay of cost. Some structural work may need to be done which doesn’t show in the visual appearance of the home, but if you have a building report showing the value then this may be a selling tool in the future. But there is usually a shoddy front garden or a drab looking room that can be jazzed up at a great DIY price.

Take your time

You’ll be excited to start the process & get stuck into wearing those boots so you look like a contestant on The Block, but television shows are quite deceiving on how long the process should take, especially if you are doing it by yourself. It wont happen overnight & may not even happen in 6 months. Products can take time to come in, like guttering or wallpaper as well as installing it yourself or getting someone to assist you. Plus the weather is never really on your side! So be realistic. Especially when it is the home that you live in, be sure that you don’t leave yourself without a working bathroom just because you felt the need to grab the sledge hammer one day. Also pace yourself though each job, don’t rush the finish or it may end up wasting money & time in the end.

But I’ve got to tell you, it is so rewarding to know that you have made your mark on your home for the better, & saved yourself a bunch of cash in the process. Working on my house & yard is my hobby, so once I have a day off I have a paint brush in my hand or I’m covered in dirt. The big laughs came when I was laying insulation in my ceiling cavity as I was all very attractive with gloves, masks & goggles for the occasion. But I did it myself & the difference you can make with a little bit of elbow grease is amazing. Just put on some great music & enjoy the changes!

Happy renovating!

Written by Mysteree Designs

Some images from Mysteree Designs projects, other images used came from the following websites.

Get all the information you need with these free Interior Design posts –

How to get the Most out of your Interior Designer – https://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/5-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-interior-designer/

Lighting your Home – https://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/let-there-be-light/

Feng Shui Principles – https://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/feng-shui-principles-true-or-foohy/

Renovating for Sale – https://www.mystereedesigns.com.au/renovating-for-sale/

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