The expense of moving might mean you’d like to make some updates to your new home, but don’t have a huge budget to play with.
From the front door to the heart of the home, we’ve come up with a few ideas to help you transform your living space and make big changes for a small outlay.
First impressions: Start with the front door to make a good first impression and add instant kerb appeal. Give an old door a fresh coat of paint in a good exterior paint – charcoal grey or duck egg blue are fail-safe colour choices – and add a smart new door handle or knocker. A new door can cost anything from £250. A full litre of paint should be enough to apply three coats to a front door from as little as £20.
Kitchen cleverness: It is possible to transform the heart of the home from dull to delightful without spending thousands. Update your kitchen handles for a quick and striking refresh. Spray paint existing handles for under a tenner, or switch them up for new ones – choosing wisely means you can still stay on budget. To give the whole kitchen a premium new look at a budget price point, either paint your kitchen cabinets or replace the doors and drawer fronts altogether. It might cost more, but is still a fraction of the price of a new kitchen.
Favourable floors: If you’re lucky enough to find you have floorboards under a tired old carpet, whisk it away and either sand and varnish the boards or give them a fresh coat of paint to instantly transform a room. Most good-quality paints don’t need an additional primer so you could paint boards for as little as £25, depending on the floor area.
Room for improvement: Add an extra room to your house by transforming a garden shed. Even the smallest space can be turned into a home office, a gym or an art studio if you think cleverly!
Window dressing: Change the look of a room with new curtains or blinds. Search for good quality budget options or make your own and reckon on using two to three metres of fabric per curtain or blind.
Panel talk: Wood panelling has been the go-to DIY project for 2022, instantly transforming a room and giving it a high-end look that works equally well in an old cottage or a modern house. Look on social media and Pinterest for endless inspiration.
