Most of us will usually associate “interior renovation” with extravagant spending. But that isn’t always necessary.
For functionality, decorating, or reselling purposes, tight budgets can yield spectacular-looking interiors, provided you have proper planning. After all, who doesn’t like saving their hard-earned money while transforming the look and feel of their beloved home?
With this thought in mind, we’ve curated this short guide featuring the best tips for a budget-friendly interior renovation project. So, let’s begin!
3 Tips To Plan The Budget![]()
1. Prioritise Your Renovation
It’s wise to focus on one or two rooms at a time when undertaking internal renovations to help stay within a tight budget. This approach makes the project more manageable and allows for better planning and execution.
For instance, if the dining room is on your renovation list, consider using budget-friendly ideas to achieve a fresh look without overspending. One such idea could be applying White Knight laminate paint to refresh old furniture or cabinetry, giving them a new lease on life at a fraction of the replacement cost.
When setting a budget for each room, a helpful guideline is limiting your expenditure to 12 to 15% of your home’s total cost for any single room. This rule helps ensure that you allocate funds proportionately across various renovation needs, allowing you to save money while still achieving significant improvements.
By integrating these strategies, you can manage a renovation project that is both affordable and effective, upgrading your home according to plan without breaking the bank.
2. Prepare A Cost Estimate
Once you have a budget, the next step is to divide it according to your goals. You may prepare a detailed list of different aspects, such as paints, flooring material, furniture, etc., and their expected costs. Also, include the shipping fees and applicable taxes, if any.
If you’re going to renovate your home for the first time, be prepared to devote considerable time researching the average costs in your area. Not only will this help your contractor get a better picture of your precise requirements, but it will also help him provide you with an accurate quote.
Furthermore, we’d advise comparing the quotes of different contractors to ensure that you’re getting the best deal. Remember that the best quote is much more than just the cost. Consider how well the contractors communicate every aspect of the process and their overall experience, especially in similar projects.
3. Consult A Home Renovation Specialist
Consulting a home renovation specialist can be a strategic move for homeowners who have set a renovation plan and budget. These specialists ensure you approach the project correctly, helping you achieve high-end results without stretching your financial limits.
A renovation specialist can guide you to the right place for sourcing quality materials at better prices and suggest design alternatives that enhance your home’s value for the long term. Their expertise ensures that your vision for a new look doesn’t compromise the quality or sustainability of the materials used.
By involving a specialist, you can optimise your expenditure and ensure that every dollar invested brings you closer to your ideal home’s aesthetically and functionally desirable outcome. This approach meets your immediate needs and secures your investment for future benefits.
8 Budget-Friendly Designing Tips
Now that you know about budgeting the renovation, let’s look at some design tips that will amp up the interiors without burning a hole in your pocket. Some of our recommendations can also be achieved in the D.I.Y. way.
1. Beautify The Space
Only some beautification projects require expensive furniture and intensive painting jobs. You may decorate the space with simple accessories and elegant touch-ups to the existing paint.
For instance, placing a dark-coloured flower vase against a light-coloured wall (or vice versa) can create much-needed contrast in your room. Or, a small indoor herb garden in your kitchen can render a touch of natural green while providing fresh seasoning for your meals.
Similarly, you may add wall stickers or stickable wallpapers to the walls to create a new look without hiring a painting service. But even if you want to change the wall colour, you can follow the numerous online house tutorials.
Likewise, structural furniture in most departmental stores doesn’t require intensive carpentry or professional installation, saving costs.
2. Add A Headboard
Adding a headboard to the wall behind the bed is an effective and simple way to transform the look of your bedroom. It’s one of those low-cost upgrades that can significantly impact just one room. With many options available in various sizes, materials, and finishes, you can easily find a headboard that complements your existing decor without requiring a large investment.
This small-budget-friendly change enhances the aesthetic appeal of your bedroom and adds a personal touch, proving that you don’t need to spend a lot to refresh your space.
3. Accentuate The Bathroom
When renovating the bathroom on a limited budget, you don’t need to invest in expensive fixtures like premium bathtubs, sinks, and faucets. In such cases, simple changes can be both cost-effective and impactful. For example, replacing the toilet seat or upgrading the sink to a more accessible model can greatly enhance convenience for all users. Adding a shelf to organize bath products declutters the space and creates an illusion of a larger, more spacious bathroom.
A good rule to follow when undertaking any home improvement project is to consider the balance between cost, effort, and impact. Replacing minor fixtures or adding storage solutions is low-cost and not very time-consuming and can significantly improve the usability and appearance of your bathroom. These changes can ensure your bathroom remains functional and stylish for a few years without needing extensive renovations.
4. “Light Up” The Living Room
Lighting primarily influences the atmosphere of a living room. Even the biggest living rooms can look dark and confined without lighting. Hence, improving the lighting alone can do wonders to enhance the appearance of this space.
We’d suggest choosing light-coloured curtains that will allow more light intake. Furthermore, hanging two mirrors on opposite walls and installing floor lamps can make the room seem bigger. Keep in mind that the size of the mirrors should follow the overall size of the walls.
5. Make The Dining Space MoreAppetisingg
Not only does the taste make for an enjoyable meal (otherwise, restaurants wouldn’t have put so much effort into interior design!). One of the best ways to revamp the dining space is to use colour psychology.
Specific colours like red, yellow, and orange help increase appetite. These are the colours primarily used by big food brands for their packaging and logo designs. Hence, you may use them for the walls, dining table, upholstery, and cutlery.
6. Use Patterns To Create Your Vibe
Patterns and textures are your best bet to bring a sense of depth to a room’s decor. Not only that, but these elements also help create the overall vibe of the space. While soft textures and subtle patterns render a warm or cozy feeling, vibrant patterns and bold textures lend a more welcoming and refreshing feeling. So you can choose the upholstery and colours accordingly.
7. Reuse Accessories
The commonly discarded accessories like flower vases, pen holders, fruit baskets, etc., can be transformed into eye-catching showpieces with some creativity. Bring out the art supplies and seek inspiration from online video tutorials to tap the artist in you. Not only do they cut down on costs, but they also add your “personal touch” to the setup.
8. Add Protection To The Walls
Protect the wall behind your kitchen or bathroom sink with colourful and textured backsplash stickers. This is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to change the look of the wall without spending thousands of dollars for redoing or grouting the tiles.
Renovating On Your Budget
On that note, it’s time for us to wrap up today’s guide.
We hope we have provided enough tips and tricks to help you accomplish your internal home renovation. Whether hiring a renovation service or going the D.I.Y. way, make it a point not to stretch the budget too much.
Otherwise, you may spend a lot of money only to be unhappy with the result. We will see you next time. Take care!