First up, please bear in mind that renovating your own home is very different to renovating for profit. When flipping a home, keeping costs down is usually high on the list of priorities but when you’re renovating a space to live in, it pays to splurge in some areas. You should enjoy your home and life is to be lived, right?
I have renovated many homes for myself over the years – read on to find out where I choose to splurge and where I prefer to save.
The bedroom
While there’s no denying the bedroom is a sanctuary, it pays to be wise with where you spend your money. Personally, when renovating my own home, I prefer to splurge on the things that will remain for some time – window coverings, carpet and a great wardrobe fit-out are all musts for me. Put your money into those areas and spend less on furnishing the room – there are so many bargains to be had on the home furnishing front these days.
The bathroom
When it comes to my bathroom, I think it’s important to splurge on vanities and a bath if it’s freestanding. I also think spending generously on task lighting is key (particularly if there’s a woman in the house!) and spending big on a feature tile is a good idea too – you usually only require a small amount. On the converse, you can save money on the remainder of your tile bill by selecting a simple white one for the majority of the space.
Tapware is another area in which you can save as there are so many amazing, well-priced, good-quality options around nowadays. Glazing is another key saving area – you can usually pick up a simple shower screen for a steal.
The kitchen
As with the bathroom, I always splurge on lighting in the kitchen as task lighting is key when cooking. I also think it’s worth spending big on the splash back and benchtop as they are key to the overall look and feel of your kitchen. I always spend big on door handles too – if you have to have them, they need to be perfect!
When it comes to renovating savings in the kitchen, I think you can save on cabinetry as there are so many amazing, well-priced finishes available now. As with the bathroom, I feel you can save on tapware in the kitchen too.
Naomi Findlay is one of our resident experts, principal of Silk Home and founder of the International Institute of Home Staging.
