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Considering the state of Ontario’s real estate market, many potential homebuyers have decided to wait until there’s more stability before investing in a new home. What they’ve been doing as an alternative is investing in home improvement projects and making their current homes look and feel new while potentially boosting their property values.
If you’re one of those homeowners or it’s just time for upgrades around your home, the tips below can help you plan for an efficient and cost-effective home improvement project.
Plan Ahead
It’s far too easy to get carried away and exceed your budget on a home improvement project. Between renos, appliances, furniture and electronics, there are many high-priced temptations for making your home look new again. Before looking at any paint swatches or pricing new sofas, it’s best to start by drafting a plan for your project.
Like all successful plans, yours should start by having a clear vision of how you want your home to look and what it will take to get it there. Turn a critical eye on each room in your home and make a list of what needs to be done in each. Then, prioritize that list in order of importance.
Next, price out each item cost and the total project cost, compare it with the budget you’ve already put aside, and make any needed adjustments to your list.
Invest Wisely
When prioritizing your expenses for home improvements, the idea is to spend more on the important stuff like a stove, couch, or wood bed frames as they serve essential functions and paying for high-quality options is an investment that can save money (and stress) over time.
There are ways, however, you can balance these expenses and stay on budget. Two of the most common are knowing when to go with low-cost options and taking your time re-styling your home by not doing it all in one go.
Low-cost options for home improvements can include:
- Refurbishing your current furniture with paint or new fabric.
- Waiting until the mid-winter “off-season” when furnishings tend to be discounted.
- Refacing cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms instead of replacing them.
- Buying from second-hand stores, outlets and online marketplaces.
As for scheduling your work plan, start with the most-used areas of your home, like the bedrooms and kitchen, and work out from there. You don’t have to complete a room or area of your home before moving on to essentials in other areas. Instead, keep an eye out for sales on items further on down your priority list and buy then.
Decide on a Look for Your Space
Using a specific style to decorate an area of your home with can help you focus on finding the right pieces and block out all the available options. It also ensures that the space you’re decorating has a cohesive look.
From modern to minimalist to farmhouse, there are several design styles to choose from and use as inspiration. How you design and decorate a space depends on your personality, preferences and how you want to feel in that part of your home. For example, if you prefer having a lot of open space and only want the essentials in your kitchen, you’d likely prefer a minimalist look over a farmhouse design and should keep that in mind when buying a table and chairs.
Another method for designing a room is to base how it looks on a statement piece. If you’re furniture shopping, for example, and you fall in love with a couch or an end table that has the exact style you want for your space, use those pieces as the focal point of the room and choose other design elements for that space that complement those statement pieces.
A Final Word on Planning a Home Improvement Project
If you are buying new furniture, be sure to account for possible delivery delays. While things have gotten better, supply chains are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and unusually long wait times for furniture and appliance delivery are still being reported. Ask the retailer before you buy about their current delivery times, and it can’t hurt to go online and check out their reviews to see if anyone’s complained about delays or other issues.
Redecorating a home can get stressful at times, and if redecorating your home starts to feel like a burden, think ahead to all the fun times to come, the parties you’ll host based on your favourite themes and the holiday get-togethers with your loved ones all together under one roof.
