If you are trying to figure out how to renovate a house with no money, then you have come to the right place. Renovating your house does not have to break the bank as many people seem to believe. Most projects can be done relatively cheaply, however, it will require diligence, time, and effort.
Below is a list of the nine best options for renovating a house with little to no money. To discover everything you could ever want to know about renovating a house on a budget, continue reading below. You’ll find that it’s not as expensive as it might seem.
1. Clean the House
The first tip to renovating a house with no money is cleaning the home first. Cleaning the home will allow it to appear as fresh as possible so you will be able to decide what actually needs to be renovated.
Many individuals who do not first deep clean their home end up renovating far more than they really need to, all because they could not tell what was still in good condition. To save as much money as possible, you will want to ensure that you are not replacing anything that you do not need to.
DIY Clean
When deep cleaning your home, a great way to save cash is by doing it yourself. Rather than hiring someone to thoroughly clean your house, you can roll up your sleeves and start cleaning it yourself. Although this will take more time and effort, it will be significantly less expensive. All you will have to do is purchase the cleaning products, most of which you will probably already own.
Deep cleaning the house is a necessary step in the renovation process. Most projects you will be doing require a clean slate anyway, and this is just giving you a head start. As long as you clean the house yourself, this can practically be a free step in the renovation process, which is why you will want to start off with it.
2. Do It Yourself
The second tip to renovating a house with limited finances is to do it yourself. You will not want to waste money paying people to do the jobs that you could have easily done yourself. Although it may take you more time to do it yourself than it would take a professional, it will all be worth it in the end. You will be able to save an immense amount of money when doing certain jobs.
Even if you do not have a training in certain areas, there are projects that you will still be able to do yourself. Do not hire somebody just because you are not a professional, rather look up videos and ask those around you to help you with different projects.
As long as you keep asking around, you will be sure to find somebody who has had experience with the project you are thinking about. Not only will they tell you how they completed the project, but they will be able to tell you what they would do differently. With certain projects, you will, of course, need to hire a professional, however, the number of professionals you hire can be significantly reduced.
DIY Examples
Certain jobs can always be done on your own, whether you have experience or not. For instance, anyone can repaint or re-floor their home. It does not require professional training to learn how to do so. You will want to do your research on the best way to perform these tasks, but there are few ways that things can go wrong, so it’s a good idea to keep professional help as a backup plan.
3. Repaint the Home
The third tip to renovating a house with no money is to repaint it. Repainting a house gives it an entirely new look. With just a quick stroke of your brush, it will seem as though you are looking at an entirely new house. If you are on a budget, then you will want to ensure that the house gets painted. It is an inexpensive way of ensuring that it has a fresh new appearance.
You will want to ensure you are purchasing high-quality paint, however. When purchasing paint from The Home Depot or Lowes, you can be safe in the assumption that you are buying some of the most cost-efficient and high-quality paint out there.
Free Paint
Believe it or not, free paint / nearly free paint can be found if you are not super picky about colors. Thrift shops can have leftover donated paint from homeowners or paint they got at a store closing. Also, professional painters have tons of leftover paint that they may never need again so they would love you to haul it away, without charging you for gallons of paint. Closets are a great place to use paint you are not in love with but is totally free.
4. Focus On the Windows
The fourth tip on how to renovate a house with no money is to focus on the windows. The windows have a lot to do with how your house looks. Battered windows and curtains can make the home look run down even if everything around it is high-quality. In addition, the lighting plays a large role in how people view the house. When renovating your home, you will want to make sure that the window coverings are up-to-date and that the home is well lit.
Window Coverings
Many people are surprised to discover how much of a difference window coverings can make. Make sure that the coverings on your window are updated and made from quality materials. If you have blinds in your home, then when renovating, you will want to consider replacing them with shutters. Shutters will give your home more of an upscale look, and they are fairly inexpensive. You can find shutters of any price, so you should be able to find many options that fall within your budget.
Lighting
The lighting can make or break your home. When renovating your home, lighting should be a large consideration. You will not want to do anything to the windows that prevents light from coming in. You will want natural light to flood into your home, and no renovations should be done that will compromise that. In fact, you may want to do some renovations to ensure there is enough lighting in your house.
5. Get a New Front Door
Our fifth tip for renovating a house with limited funds is to purchase a new front door. The front door is the first thing that everybody sees, so you will want it to be an eye-catcher. A front door can really make or break the look of your home, so you will want to make sure that it matches the aesthetic you are going for. The front door is an easy way to make it look like your house is fully upgraded when in reality, you only changed one thing.
A new front door makes a statement and is immediately noticeable from the curb. Just by upgrading your door, your home will look more polished and elegant. In addition, replacing your front door is not very expensive. There are many inexpensive options to choose from that are sure to fit within your budget. All you have to do is shop around!
If you want to go for an even cheaper route, you could also just repaint your existing door. Either touching up the existing color or adding a new color will increase your home’s curb appeal.
6. Ask For Help
The sixth tip to renovating a house with no money is asking for help. Gather all your friends, neighbors, and family and ask them for help renovating your home. It can be a fun project that will help everyone get to know each other. Especially be sure to look for people who are already interested in home improvements, because they may be more experienced and excited to help. Chances are, there will be at least one person you know that will be willing and able to help you.
Even if you only have one other person helping you, that is still double the amount of work that can be done. Having people to help you will save you time, money, and effort. You will be able to save money because they will help you with projects that they may not know how to do, particularly if you get someone to help you that has had experience renovating before.
Renovation Teamwork
Not only is renovating your home with other people more efficient, but it also is much more fun. You get to share the experience with your loved ones and it will be a much more rewarding experience. Even if you pay those who help you, it will still be much cheaper than hiring professionals to do the work for you. Asking for help is one of the best ways to save money, and so you should not hesitate to ask those around you. Offer to help them too when you get the chance.
7. Restore What You Can
The seventh tip for renovating a house with no money is restoring what you can. Many have a misconstrued idea that renovating your home entails replacing everything in sight. Individuals believe that those who renovate their homes are not supposed to leave any part of the original house intact. However, this could not be any further from the truth. Renovating your home does not mean that you have to get rid of everything, quite the contrary!
When renovating your home, you will not want to get rid of things that can be restored. You will want to try to keep everything you can, especially if it is still in good condition. When trying to renovate your home on a budget, you will not want to replace things that are not necessary to replace. Instead, you will want to restore everything you can. To restore items in your house, you will want to try and get them to look brand new. This may take a thorough deep cleaning and some extra polishing. A splash of paint here and there helps too!
8. Focus On the Kitchen
The eighth tip for renovating a house with no money is focusing on the kitchen. The kitchen is one room that everybody sees and spends a lot of time in. The kitchen can really enhance the home, or it can make it look out of date. If you notice that your kitchen is looking a bit old, then that should be one of your main focuses when renovating your home. Making the kitchen more up-to-date will make a huge difference in the overall appearance of your home.
Just by replacing the cabinets and countertops, you will notice that your kitchen looks entirely different. You can also try to make it tie into the neighboring room more so that way your home design looks more unified. When renovating the kitchen, it can be easy to start spending more money than necessary. While you will want to ensure you are making your kitchen the best that it can be, you will want to simultaneously make sure that you are not going overboard. For example, do not purchase new appliances that you do not absolutely need.
If you choose to emphasize the kitchen, then you will notice that the rest of your house will fall into place. By renovating the kitchen, you may not need to spend as much money on everything else.
9. Replace Flooring
The ninth and final tip for renovating a house with no money is replacing the flooring. Replacing the flooring is a project that you can usually do on your own. You will not need to hire a professional to change your flooring up, and therefore it will not be too expensive. While you will need to purchase your own materials, this will still be much cheaper than hiring someone to do it for you.
When replacing the flooring, many would suggest picking hardwood flooring. If you have carpet currently in your home, then when renovating it, you will want to replace it with hardwood. Hardwood flooring will give your home a more aesthetic finish and it will look fresher than carpet. Many buyers also love the look of wood flooring, so you could increase your resale value.
When you renovate your home and replace the flooring, that is half the battle. Replacing the flooring will take more time and effort than most other projects, so you will want to have patience. This is when having more than one person helping you would be great. However, even if it is just you, you will be able to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.