Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number TWELVE!!

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it.

Here's a summary of what you need to consider carefully when you're planning a makeover, in order to keep the costs down as much as possible:
• Budget
• Existing Colours
• Room Use
• Existing Style
• Accessories
• Lifestyle
• Increase Value
• Skills
• Timescale
• Identify Trends
• Clutter

And just by pure co-incidence(!), if you take the first letter of all the above, you'll end up with the most important thing to remember when planning a makeover:
 

B udget

E xisting Colours

R oom Use
E xisting Style
A ccessories
L ifestyle
I ncrease Value
S kills
T imescale
I dentify Trends
C lutter
BE REALISTIC!

Call me for any help with your project, whether you just need some ideas, or whether you want us to take over the project for you... 07932 694904

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 11. Clutter.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

CLUTTER - how much clutter do you really have to deal with?
• De-clutter thoroughly before a makeover
• Examine everything you have left, and provide adequate storage as part of the new scheme
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Remove everything unless it’s part of the scheme and enhances the photos
• Try to de-clutter as you’re packing the excess items away, so it doesn’t all come with you

Before - this was a typical room in the house, taken over by children's toys. By creating a playroom with lots of storage, everything could then be moved into there, leaving the other rooms free for their intended purpose

 

After - once proper storage had been provided

Before - the Master Bedroom in a house that was soon to go on the market

After - even with a low budget, we made a huge difference to the saleability of this room



Before - another room in the above house. There wasn't much we could re-use, but there were other rooms we could borrow items from, to keep the budget down

After - a much calmer space

Before - a bare porch

After - with adequate storage and some soft touches

Before - remove everything unless it enhances the photo - including the wallpaper pattern

After - a much calmer space for sale

 

Before - allow adequate storage in the home, and use it!

After - the wardrobes upstairs weren't being used, so it didn't take long to sort this out

Before - the same house as above - a table was blocking the wardrobe, so a double wardrobe then became useless

After - everything fit easily into the wardrobes

Before - a huge shed belonging to the above property

After - much easier to use this space now

Before - patterns can be clutter too

After - one of my favourite transformations

Next - the most important consideration when you're planning a makeover...

 

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 10. Identify Trends.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

IDENTIFY TRENDS - when should you be following fashion and when should you avoid it?
• In general, don’t follow trends too closely, they change with every season now
• More expensive items need to be timeless
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Remember potential buyers are comparing your property with others, and they like to see fashionable decor, so just update some accessories to fit with your scheme
• Check local Show Homes for styles and colours to use
• Check fashionable shops - eg. Next - and just add one or two pieces

Look at show homes for ideas

Before - this needed to be a guest room

After - so we made it timeless. Nothing can go out of fashion here.

Next - everyone's favourite - CLUTTER - when you're planning a makeover, deal with your clutter first!

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 9. Timescale.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

TIMESCALE - if you have a short timescale, are your plans realistic?
• Consider all the trades involved and how they impact each other. Allow them the time and space to work efficiently, don't book them all to work in the same room on one day.
• Be realistic with your own time
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Usually have a limited timescale - the faster the better
• Try to prepare before the property goes on the market
• Consider the availability of trades, supplies and furnishings. Can you get hold of everything you need in time?

Before - for selling, I really wanted to stage this room as a dining room, but time was against us, and there was a baby grand piano in the room which would take a while to sell or move

After - a music room isn't as desirable as a dining room, but at least we were now showing the full size and potential of the room 

Before - an empty house with only a couple of days before the owners were moving in

After - everything we chose for the room had to be available for immediate purchase and delivery - ex-display sofas, readymade curtains etc.

 

 

Before - this lady had promised her daughter a room makeover before her party at the weekend, but she ran out of time and called us for emergency back-up!

Before - another angle

After - a quick declutter and tidy-up...

After - all ready for the party!

Next - IDENTIFY TRENDS - then decide if you should be following fashion or avoiding it.

 

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 8. Skills.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

SKILLS - what skills are you or your family able to use in the makeover? When do you need to call-in the professionals?
• Analyse your own skills carefully and balance this with the time you would realistically be able to give to the project
• Consider skilled tradesmen if budget allows, as this ensures the project will reach completion!
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Poor workmanship can devalue a property, so don't cut corners

Before - analyse your own skills - this client knew he could remove the pelmet, paint the walls and add a headboard

After - a great job done

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the above house

Before - this was all the homeowners were able to do themselves, and they wanted more

After - with the help of a professional decorator, the walls looked great, and the curtains and headboard were made by professionals too

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the above house

Before - this project highlights why you need a contingency for professionals "just in case"

After - when removing these wardrobes, we discovered the walls were a real mess behind them, so had to call in the plasterers.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the above house

Before - remember this photo from an earlier blog? These homeowners fully expected to have to change their sofas, just to help to sell the house in a competitive local market

After - as a professional, I saved them over a thousand pounds on this room alone! Our advice doesn't always cost money!

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the above house

Next - TIMESCALE - what can you realistically achieve in the time you have available?

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 7. Increase value.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

INCREASE VALUE - how important is it that the makeover increases the value of your house? 
• This always needs to be considered, even if you don’t plan to move for a while. Unforseen circumstances could force you to sell your house unexpectedly, so to make changes to it that may devalue it can never be a good idea
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Every decision must increase the perceived value of the property - and preferably the actual value too

Before - a huge dining hall, interesting, but not in keeping with the rest of the house. No-one could imagine what to do with it if they bought the house. And it was situated next to a lovely dining room.

After - a welcoming living room that now added value to the house  

CLICK HERE to see the other rooms in this house

Before - the vehicles were usually parked outside the living room window

Before - an increased perception of the size of the house added value instantly

CLICK HERE to see the other rooms in this house

Before - even small jobs like cleaning mould and replacing sealant can increase the perceived value of the home

After - a cleaner appearance makes such a difference

Before - the budget for this room was limited, but we still decided the carpet had to go!

 

After - changing the carpet meant that the room didn't need decorating, and the only other cost was changing the curtains

CLICK HERE to see the other rooms in this house

Next - SKILLS - what skills are you or your family able to use in a makeover and when should you call the professionals?

Low Cost Home Makeovers - 11 handy tips. Number 6. Lifestyle.

I was recently invited to Grand Designs Live in Birmingham, to talk about home makeovers and how to keep costs down, whether you're selling your home or want to enjoy living in it. To follow is a summary of the suggestions I made, with lots of 'Before' and 'After' photos as illustrations.

LIFESTYLE - does your house reflect your lifestyle. Is it a social space, or just a practical one?
• Carefully consider your lifestyle  - how you socialise, what interests you have, and allow enough space for this to take place comfortably
• As your lifestyle changes, adapt your house to suit.  For example, if you develop an interest in fitness, remove your old solarium and replace it with some gym equipment
If the makeover is for selling purposes...
• Sell a lifestyle

Before - an unused room, an old "furniture graveyard!"

After - a very useable family office space, with seating

CLICK HERE to see the other rooms in this house

Before - a bedroom full of belongings

After - a beautiful bedroom for sale - sell a lifestyle

 

 

Before - A teenage boy's room!

After - a beautiful bedroom for sale in the same house as above

Before - a tiny unloved spare room

After - the Estate Agent's favourite room!

CLICK HERE to see the other rooms in this house

Before - a covered swimming pool

After - an inviting swimming pool for sale - sell a lifestyle

 

 

Before - an empty room in a new home. My client wanted a fun bedroom for their (adult) friends to stay in.



After - my client's nickname was "Peppa", so we chose a Peppa Pig theme for fun! This house was very unique to my client, but we didn't do anything to devalue the house if he wanted to sell.

 

Next - INCREASE VALUE - how important is it that you add value to the property when you're planning a makeover?